Voyager of the Seas-10/7-10/12/2023 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

[Welly9]

On 10/16/2023 at 1:41 PM, ckmommy said:

Dining

 

Good: 

-Specialty Dining food was good--not great but good--we went to Chops and Giovanni's

-MDR--My Time--I was happy with the food,  it was much better than I expected.  We have been on lots of RCCL cruises, and the food seemed pretty similar to the what we had on our January cruise

-Windjammer--Washy Washy lady was by the hand washing stations for breakfast every day--she was a joy to see. 

-Pizza was RCCL pizza--they had 3 different choices in toppings--they were just fine for us

-You could get a whole pizza to take away if you wanted--you had to wait for it though

 

Bad:

-Service in Chops was bad.  It started out really good, then our server got overwhelmed and it ended up being a 3 hour dinner with more that 45 mins between the main course and dessert

-Not enough staff in the Windjammer

-No Pumpkin seed rolls on white rolls in MDR after the first day (which we were not at due to dinner at Giovanni's)

-Pushing additional specialty options after eating in Giovanni's

-Ice cream line only had one person making the cones--the line had to be 30-40 long

 

Ugly:
 

So many dishes being not bussed--in the MDR, Specialty restaurants, and Windjammer--its a really bad look and fairly gross

 

 

omg LOVE the Pumpkin seed rolls, , we ask for them night 1, they will find them, also, hard to find but will make them if you tip, are the poppy seed rolls, amazing!!! 

[alphawave1]

17 hours ago, ckmommy said:

We went to the beach -- using a $4 per person Taxi.  As soon as we got out a guy was asking us to come to his beach area for $15 per person.  He showed us a menu and we agreed to stay.  Beer was $4.  Until we got the bill--they ended up charging us $6 a beer.  They kept bringing the buckets of beer even though it was not being drank.  Somehow we got charged for 5 buckets of 6 beers (30 beers drank by 2 people--in 2 hours--I don't think so). Plus, 4 shots were billed to us--the shots were drank by the people---(while we watched) that served us as a thank you!  Those shot were $40. I was not drinking--but I did get a massage.  While I was getting a massage, the bill was given to the others in my party.  When I got out of the massage, I took a photo of the bill, a second before the server took the cask and bill away.  I did not look at the bill till we were on the ship--$300 was the total.  For sure, we were very overcharged--but those paying the bill were not paying attention to the total at all.

Also, my husband bought Cuban Cigars for our boys and him to enjoy when we are all together at Christmas.  6 Cubans for $50.  When we got home my husband looked up the Cigars and they are NOT cuban--just some junk cigar.

If you are planning to drink in Costa Maya--find a beach club that offers an all inclusive drinking deal.  And, don't buy anything from the vendors that are constantly asking you to buy from them--unless yo are okay with the price and you know that the stuff you are buying may not be what it is supposed to be.

 

We gave up on Costa Maya years ago. Lots of vendors pestering you and beach was so -so. My sister, my traveling companion, said at one point she felt definitely unsafe, and we have traveled everywhere and rarely feel unsafe. Vendors target women very strongly in Caribbean islands, as opposed to male/female duos. However, when locals won’t take NO for an answer and move up into your personal space…..

[HappyTexan44]

Thank you for telling us about Costa Maya.   My family has never seen a Mayan ruin so we were thinking of doing an excursion to the one nearby.  Your experience makes me more certain that is the best option.  I read a review online where someone talked about his girlfriend who was a masseuse there bragging about cheating tourists.  For example, they never got the time that they paid for.   

 

[New2Cruise76]

On 10/17/2023 at 7:18 PM, ckmommy said:

Also, my husband bought Cuban Cigars for our boys and him to enjoy when we are all together at Christmas.  6 Cubans for $50.  When we got home my husband looked up the Cigars and they are NOT cuban--just some junk cigar.

 

Just a question on this, since I do love me some Cuban cigars, and we're looking at a western Caribbean cruise this summer. It looks like there is a La Casa Del Habano store in Cozumel, did your husband go there for the cigars? LCDH is the Cuban sanctioned distributor for cigars, so those should absolutey be genuine.

 

Less than $9 a stick would be a red flag for me, as well. About the only genuine Cubans I can find online at that price would be mixed filler cigars, and definently not the more mainstream brands.

 

Honestly, much as I love Cubans, it's almost not worth the risk of fakes to get them, probably why I haven't ordered any in years.

 

Also, if you can access the box they came in, the LCDH website can valid the code on it to verify if the box is genuine.

[ckmommy]

9 hours ago, New2Cruise76 said:

 

Just a question on this, since I do love me some Cuban cigars, and we're looking at a western Caribbean cruise this summer. It looks like there is a La Casa Del Habano store in Cozumel, did your husband go there for the cigars? LCDH is the Cuban sanctioned distributor for cigars, so those should absolutey be genuine.

 

Less than $9 a stick would be a red flag for me, as well. About the only genuine Cubans I can find online at that price would be mixed filler cigars, and definently not the more mainstream brands.

 

Honestly, much as I love Cubans, it's almost not worth the risk of fakes to get them, probably why I haven't ordered any in years.

 

Also, if you can access the box they came in, the LCDH website can valid the code on it to verify if the box is genuine.

We got the cigars from a beach vendor--we should have known better...I think when we got home my husband looked on the LCDH website and realized he did not buy real Cuban Cigars.  It will be a funny story to tell one day.

 

[c-leg5]

On 10/17/2023 at 6:18 PM, ckmommy said:

We went to the beach -- using a $4 per person Taxi.  As soon as we got out a guy was asking us to come to his beach area for $15 per person.  He showed us a menu and we agreed to stay.  Beer was $4.  Until we got the bill--they ended up charging us $6 a beer.  They kept bringing the buckets of beer even though it was not being drank.  Somehow we got charged for 5 buckets of 6 beers (30 beers drank by 2 people--in 2 hours--I don't think so). Plus, 4 shots were billed to us--the shots were drank by the people---(while we watched) that served us as a thank you!  Those shot were $40. I was not drinking--but I did get a massage.  While I was getting a massage, the bill was given to the others in my party.  When I got out of the massage, I took a photo of the bill, a second before the server took the cask and bill away.  I did not look at the bill till we were on the ship--$300 was the total.  For sure, we were very overcharged--but those paying the bill were not paying attention to the total at all.

Also, my husband bought Cuban Cigars for our boys and him to enjoy when we are all together at Christmas.  6 Cubans for $50.  When we got home my husband looked up the Cigars and they are NOT cuban--just some junk cigar.

If you are planning to drink in Costa Maya--find a beach club that offers an all inclusive drinking deal.  And, don't buy anything from the vendors that are constantly asking you to buy from them--unless yo are okay with the price and you know that the stuff you are buying may not be what it is supposed to be.

 

It would be helpful for others if you could remember the beach club you were at?

 

I sounds like unfortunately you ended up at El Faro which is renowned for these tactics but not the only one. What was the $15 for - that would have been a red flag for me? It has always been recommended to have the name of a reputable place in mind in Costa Maya.

 

Although I am surprised the taxi took you that far unless you requested somewhere. The general dropping off point these days seems to be Krazy Lobster which, while reputable, does seem to be acquiring an unhealthy monopoly?

[c-leg5]

Duplicate 

Edited October 22, 2023 by c-leg5

[ckmommy]

Sorry fo the delay--we asked to taxi to take us really far down the beach.    We had been at a resort we liked many years ago when it was the third stop--this is when they had a tram type thing that took you to the beach.  We were looking for that same resort--which I found when we were leaving--it was on the next block.     The beach place was called Kraken.  Stay away!

[c-leg5]

4 minutes ago, ckmommy said:

Sorry fo the delay--we asked to taxi to take us really far down the beach.    We had been at a resort we liked many years ago when it was the third stop--this is when they had a tram type thing that took you to the beach.  We were looking for that same resort--which I found when we were leaving--it was on the next block.     The beach place was called Kraken.  Stay away!

Thanks for the heads up. I had heard of Kraken and thought about trying but have never been. Pity looks quite nice on TA and they have an interesting green drink! However a few bad reviews on pricing so we will give it a  miss.
 

Were you looking for Pez Quadro?

[ckmommy]

21 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Thanks for the heads up. I had heard of Kraken and thought about trying but have never been. Pity looks quite nice on TA and they have an interesting green drink! However a few bad reviews on pricing so we will give it a  miss.
 

Were you looking for Pez Quadro?

We were looking for El Fuerte--which is close to Pez Quadro

[celestialcruiser]

On 10/17/2023 at 7:18 PM, ckmommy said:

We went to the beach -- using a $4 per person Taxi.  As soon as we got out a guy was asking us to come to his beach area for $15 per person.  He showed us a menu and we agreed to stay.  Beer was $4.  Until we got the bill--they ended up charging us $6 a beer.  They kept bringing the buckets of beer even though it was not being drank.  Somehow we got charged for 5 buckets of 6 beers (30 beers drank by 2 people--in 2 hours--I don't think so). Plus, 4 shots were billed to us--the shots were drank by the people---(while we watched) that served us as a thank you!  Those shot were $40. I was not drinking--but I did get a massage.  While I was getting a massage, the bill was given to the others in my party.  When I got out of the massage, I took a photo of the bill, a second before the server took the cask and bill away.  I did not look at the bill till we were on the ship--$300 was the total.  For sure, we were very overcharged--but those paying the bill were not paying attention to the total at all.

Also, my husband bought Cuban Cigars for our boys and him to enjoy when we are all together at Christmas.  6 Cubans for $50.  When we got home my husband looked up the Cigars and they are NOT cuban--just some junk cigar.

If you are planning to drink in Costa Maya--find a beach club that offers an all inclusive drinking deal.  And, don't buy anything from the vendors that are constantly asking you to buy from them--unless yo are okay with the price and you know that the stuff you are buying may not be what it is supposed to be.

 

Hopefully your experience can keep others from making the same mistake. I'm not really surprised; there are many establishments that rip off tourists and hope they don't notice. Book at a private beach club for one price and places with good reviews. May be a little more expensive but not so much in the long run and you will have a better day. Maya Chan always gets good recommendations. We went to Almaplena (a little farther away) and they pay for taxi to get there. It's a small place, very quiet, includes food and drinks - a great experience.