​⛴️​ LIVE from Allure ​🎠​ out of Galveston - Ozark_Kid and brillohead team up for a duo-thread: Jan 22, 2023

[Luckynana]

29 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

For Appetizers Sharon got Guacamole, I missed the chips. 

 

 

I got the cheese sticks.  Sooo good. 

 

Sharon got a fruit salad.  Good. The ball is lemon sherbet which taste good. 

 

For the main Sharon ordered the club sandwich. 

 

And I ordered the grilled Grouper. 

 

The food was real good for us. 

Everything looks wonderful.  The drinks are included also, aren't they, John?  We have reservations there for our Bella cruise.

Sorry you got rained out, but I must say, you've got a great attitude about it!  You are so positive!!🥰 and, that's a beautiful thing!!!

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Thanks for that tip, I'm recommending Maya Chan to our party in September...we have first time cruisers with us...good choice?  Nachi of course for Coz and West End for Roatan.  We always liked Mayan Princess for our loungers, we've been there several times, also Bananarama and Tabyana.

 

I always get Casita Six because I need Full Shade, and because I'm a small group (usually just me, but sometimes I have joiners).  They have larger areas for bigger groups, and areas with more sun, too.  The max for Casita Six would be four people.  

I highly recommend Maya Chan to anyone looking for a laid back and relaxing day with great food and service.  And Cindy's group of massage therapists do an EXCELLENT job, too!

 

 

1 hour ago, c-leg5 said:

I have always thought a plan would be a useful addition to their website like Cabana Beach, Cozumel has.  Although I know they designate them according to party size so perhaps that is the problem. 
 

I think they used to have one a long time ago before they expanded and rebuilt the cabanas but I don’t think they change and relocate them so often that it would be a problem.

I don't think that letting people choose their own cabana / palapa / casita would work because they are assigned by party size, and people wouldn't necessarily know which ones are spoken for already or which ones have more sun or shade, etc.  

However, if you let them know what you're looking for in general, like "on the end" or "near the pool" or "front row on the beach" when you make your reservation, they could assign your group accordingly.  And the beauty of it is that the whole area is so small in general that you're never far from whatever part you want to go to!

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, Rogueperson said:

This guy is probably nuts because if you didn't know your Kindle could do that, it would not accidentally pair to his hearing aid.  It IS a possibility that there maybe interference from your Kindle's signal if you have the LTE/wi-fi activated. 

Nope, it was in airplane mode PLUS Bluetooth was turned off as I never use it.  

I talked to the geezer again last night, and I think he's a bit tech-illiterate plus over-beveraged.  I happened to ride the elevator with them on the way to dinner, and he and his wife were both more than tipsy, and she had one drink in her hand and he had two in his hands as well. (over-beveraged)

And when I asked him if his hearing aids were Bluetooth enabled and he said yes, that it sounded like a video was constantly playing.  I recommended turning off the Bluetooth function while he was at dinner, and he said that there were no controls for it, you couldn't turn it off.  (tech-illiterate)

He did at least apologize for going off on me the previous night.... and I had a delightful conversation with the younger couple next to me!

[Luckynana]

@brilloheadThank you for all of your knowledgeable recommendations, Debbie!  I'm truly enjoying your shared review, along with John @Ozark_Kid

[brillohead]

8 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Everything looks wonderful.  The drinks are included also, aren't they, John?  We have reservations there for our Bella cruise.

Sorry you got rained out, but I must say, you've got a great attitude about it!  You are so positive!!🥰 and, that's a beautiful thing!!!

Yes, drinks are included at Nachi Cocum!
 

[Tree_skier]

19 hours ago, brillohead said:

Tonight's menu is "Mexican Night":

 

 

 

The always delicious bread bowl:

 

 

 

 

Roasted Poblano Pepper Soup:

 

 

 

Sweet Corn Cakes:

 

 

 

 

This is supposed to be Carne Asada.  I had the Pulled Pork Enchilada last week, and it's not really an enchilada, just like this isn't really carne asada.  

 

 

 

 

The Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie is actually a winner for a new dessert.  It's a ramekin of cookie dough, partially cooked so it's gooey on the inside: 

 

Yikes that is scary looking Carne Asada!  

[BecciBoo]

BTW, Nachi's Ceviche Mixto is exceptional, I always get that for my snack before lunch. And believe it or not, they do great BBQ ribs...yum.

[brillohead]

1 minute ago, Tree_skier said:

Yikes that is scary looking Carne Asada!  

You'll notice that I used quote marks when I described it... "carne asada"!!!!

[Sea Dog]

21 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Everything looks wonderful.  The drinks are included also, aren't they, John?  We have reservations there for our Bella cruise.

Sorry you got rained out, but I must say, you've got a great attitude about it!  You are so positive!!🥰 and, that's a beautiful thing!!!

They are included but limited to what’s on their menu. It covers most basic drinks.

[brillohead]

As John said, it was a soggy day, but I enjoyed it anyway.  

I had my own palapa:

 

 

And my palapa was right near the bar:




So the beverages came fast and furious:

 

 

My appetizer was nachos... there was also a side of salsa that came with it, but not pictured (you can see the little gravy boat of salsa in one of John's pictures, that's the same as I had with my nachos):

 

 

And I chose the fruit salad with lemon sherbet as well:

 

 

Had to take a foot picture for @Ocean Boy:

 

And a sandy close-up of the purple polished piggies🤣:

 

 

I had the fajitas for my entree -- oh, you can see the gravy boat of salsa in this pic:

 

 

And here you can see some weirdo taking pictures on the beach: 

 

 

Yep, you guessed it, I took pictures of @Ozark_Kid taking pictures!  No clue who the lady in the picture is -- I didn't have time to move in order to reframe the picture:

 

 

[Ozark_Kid]

21 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

Everything looks wonderful.  The drinks are included also, aren't they, John?  We have reservations there for our Bella cruise.

Sorry you got rained out, but I must say, you've got a great attitude about it!  You are so positive!!🥰 and, that's a beautiful thing!!!

Like Brillo said.  Unlimited drinks.  The food is not "all you can eat". 

[brillohead]

When the rain started coming down kinda sideways, we packed it up and headed back to the ship.  And since I didn't have dessert at Nachi, I treated myself to another salad at Park Cafe. (Yes, I'm a weirdo, and I'm just as happy eating one of these yummy salads as I am eating ice cream!)

 

 

And since @John&LaLa complained to me that all my salads look alike, here's another picture of my salad after I'd cut it all up and tossed it as if it were a Tutti Salad:

 

 

Mixed lettuce, spinach, onion, boiled egg, chicken, ham, corn, carrots, croutons, and bleu cheese dressing = delicious!!!

[Ozark_Kid]

Yes, it would of been nicer without all the rain but we all still enjoyed the visit. Really I would have to say the only real disappointment was I invited Brillo to shower with me and she just walked on by!  I am not kidding. Didn't even slow down.... Much... 🙄 

[brillohead]

15 hours ago, perfect match said:

@brillohead, I want to go snorkeling with you! It’s hard to find a snorkel 🤿 buddy who wants to get in the water and snorkel for as long as I do, not  even my DH! Maybe some day our paths will cross. 😀

When I brought the GoPro back to John at noon on Roatan day, I chatted with them for five or ten minutes, then grabbed my gear and headed back out again... I think they thought I was insane! 

 

I guesstimate that I swam about a mile that day (using the Google Maps measuring tool), which sounds pretty impressive until you realize that it took me five hours to go that distance!  

 

Roatan's West Bay Beach is one of my fave snorkeling spots, for this reason... I can snorkel as much as I want, and don't have to take a boat excursion and be limited by how long the excursion lets you spend in the water (and be constantly kicked and run into by newbies who don't know what they're doing).  Bonaire and Curacao also have great shore snorkeling.  

[brillohead]

1 minute ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Yes, it would of been nicer without all the rain but we all still enjoyed the visit. Really I would have to say the only real disappointment was I invited Brillo to shower with me and she just walked on by!  I am not kidding. Didn't even slow down.... Much... 🙄 

He's not only not kidding, but he wanted to take pictures of us showering together!!!  🤣  The only reason I didn't walk away even faster was because I was trying to avoid all the puddles!  

Speaking of puddles, I put my little fans to good use when I got back in the room -- my poor Brooks were on the damp side:

 

[c-leg5]

23 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I don't think that letting people choose their own cabana / palapa / casita would work because they are assigned by party size, and people wouldn't necessarily know which ones are spoken for already or which ones have more sun or shade, etc.  

 

 

Yes i understand what you are saying.
 

We always try and get the same one each time too. Fortunately they have good records and know which one it is since I never remember the number. However if I saw a map I would be able to identify it or probably even suggest an alternative if it wasn’t available, because I know that one is it is a popular choice. If they suggested an alternative number I wouldn’t have a clue where it was located.

 

I agree it is best to describe your requirements if you are new. I am not keen on the umbrellas close to the water, both because of lack of shade and proximity to sargassum, when it is bad, but those are often what are left for small parties if you book late.
 

If I saw, on a map, I was assigned those I would decline.

[brillohead]

7 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

I agree it is best to describe your requirements if you are new. I am not keen on the umbrellas close to the water, both because of lack of shade and proximity to sargassum, when it is bad, but those are often what are left for small parties if you book late.
 

If I saw, on a map, I was assigned those I would decline.

Actually, that's where John and company ended up.  They were sold out when Sharon looked into it, and she asked to be put on a waiting list.  Mark offered to put up some umbrellas and loungers on the beach for them if they were interested, and the rest is history!  

I don't think they assign them to people who book without offering them as such because of being booked up.  

[c-leg5]

2 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Actually, that's where John and company ended up.  They were sold out when Sharon looked into it, and she asked to be put on a waiting list.  Mark offered to put up some umbrellas and loungers on the beach for them if they were interested, and the rest is history!  

I don't think they assign them to people who book without offering them as such because of being booked up.  

We have had them assigned in the past. Fortunately it wasn’t high sargassum season but it was certainly less shade than I like.

 

The palapa we like is set back and set up like yours, maybe it is #6!
 

In the early days of Maya Chan we were assigned a building  on the far RHS with a half-brick wall at the front, on a very wet day. It  was great as we had a toddler and he was able to dig in the sand completely undercover. It is a derelict building now - not sure why they stopped using it.

[Ozark_Kid]

We were a little bit late departing.  RC cruisers were late getting back from a RC ferry excursion. 

 

We could tell there were RC cruisers on when we zoomed in and saw blue towels. 

 

Norwegian's Breakaway was near by. 

 

And I always need to find one of these. 

 

I think I found a second one further down.  Look to the right. 

 

I shot a zoom to see if it was one.  Hard to shoot steady zoomed in and moving on a ship. 

 

This reminds me, we shot lighthouse pics at another port that needs posting.  So many pics, so little time. 

[brillohead]

8 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

The palapa we like is set back and set up like yours, maybe it is #6!

Number six is between the bar and the pool area.  If you take a left as soon as you leave the bar, it's at the end of that walkway... everyone has to make a right at that corner, or they end up in Casita Six. 

I found a pic from last year.  The hammock makes it so people can't walk through:

 

[c-leg5]

15 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

And I always need to find one of these. 

 

I think I found a second one further down.  Look to the right. 

The first one is by the car ferry between International and town.
 

The second one is at Puerto de Abrigo, the marina just north of town.

[Ozark_Kid]

Some moor pics. 

 

 

[c-leg5]

19 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Number six is between the bar and the pool area.  If you take a left as soon as you leave the bar, it's at the end of that walkway... everyone has to make a right at that corner, or they end up in Casita Six. 

I found a pic from last year.  The hammock makes it so people can't walk through:

 

Very similar location and set up. I think ours may be slightly smaller, usually only has two chairs and the bed? I don’t know if they move the chairs around? It is certainly between the bar and the pool. I don’t remember a  large piece of driftwood. But I appreciate the shade like you  and it is very relaxing set back.

Edited January 28, 2023 by c-leg5

[brillohead]

1 minute ago, c-leg5 said:

Very similar location and set up. I think ours may be slightly smaller, usually only has two chairs and the bed? I don’t know if they move the chairs around? It is certainly between the bar and the pool. I don’t remember a  large piece of driftwood. But I appreciate the shade like you  and it is very relaxing set back.

I think the one you're describing is just to the left of this one.  That one doesn't have the big planting area in front of it, and the bed is back behind the chairs.  

[brillohead]

28 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I think the one you're describing is just to the left of this one.  That one doesn't have the big planting area in front of it, and the bed is back behind the chairs.  

To the left as you're sitting in it looking at the water... should have mentioned that!