bellemiche

You can book this directly on the Atlantis website. It's $42 per person!

I recommend Maya Chan in Costa Maya (we've been twice). In Grand Cayman, we've done Stingray City through Cayman Eco-Adventures twice also. You meet them right at the port, they take no more than 25 people, and they make sure you are back in time. We were even able to go for lunch at Da Fish Shack before getting back onboard.

I wouldn't venture outside the gated area on your own. The terminal is souvenir shops and jewelry shops. Not the greatest port to stop at -- we've just been staying on the ship the last couple of times we've stopped there.

You get to book your shows online ahead of time which is great. Of the ships you have mentioned, I've only been on Allure and Oasis and they are very similar. We really enjoyed them both! They both have a lot to offer. Both Cococay and Labadee are beach days unless you book an excursion or rent a wave runner.

On Oasis and Allure, we were in a JS and were able to make reservations for the week in CK with no problems. We made them the first night for the entire week.

Congrats and enjoy!!! 

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Well it was the 2BDR ATS GTY.  And the price was about $3400pp for 4 in a room.

 

57 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

SMH

I just can't wrap my head around spending the full price of a good used car, or half the price of a good new one, on a room that you will only be in for a week. Or to put it in cruise habit parlance -- that's 2, maybe even 3 Caribbean cruises in a pair of Ocean View Balcony rooms!

That price also includes a genie, complimentary dining at every specialty restaurant onboard, deluxe beverage package, gratuities, and internet. I would definitely do it for that price!

Wow!!! 

We hired a taxi (Tours Plaza) once when we were in Cozumel and we got to pick where we wanted him to take us. The kids wanted to see some ruins, so we had the driver stop at the San Gervasio Mayan Archaeological Site. It's not as elaborate as Chichen Itza or Tulum, but it was still a good experience. They are located on the island.

I second Maya Chan in Costa Maya!

We sail on July 8 on Allure and we can't reserve our entertainment yet either. 

On ‎2018‎-‎04‎-‎06 at 5:48 PM, Snowwhite said:

We will be going on Royal Caribbean for the first in November for our 35th anniversary. We will be on Liberty of the Seas. Any suggestions on things to do? We will be going to Roztan, Costa Maya and Cozumel (we have been to this port before). Thanks. 

I highly recommend Maya Chan in Costa Maya. http://costamayabeachresort.com/

@DC_Cruiser As soon as you get onboard, go to the excursions desk and ask about the cabanas. A couple of times we've done that and there were some available. 

On ‎2018‎-‎02‎-‎20 at 9:58 AM, JeffSarahTravel said:

First-time cruisers on Freedom of The Seas in March and we are really excited! This site and podcast have been a tremendous help for our planning. I did want to ask if anyone has done the Shore Excursion in San Juan, Puerto Rico called "Give Back to La Perla Community" it sounds like something encouraging to do but wanted to see if anyone knew more about this.  Thank you!!

Did you end up doing this tour? If so, how was it? :)

7 hours ago, crseabrook said:

We’ve rented an over the water cabana for our visit in May. I’ve read they provide towels. Can anyone tell me if  these smalls white ship towels or actual large beach towels? Trying to decide if we should take our own.

They are beach towels. :)

@ShakeDownCruise we were on the March 10th sailing. We too also decided to try Seaside because of the pricing. We enjoyed our trip, but still prefer RC and Celebrity. Here are our takes on it:

Positives:

1. Yacht Club was great, although we hardly saw our butler (but she did escort us when disembarking past the “regular” line to our own line where we were first to get off ?).
2. Having our own deck & buffet & lounge away from the crowds. Never had to look for a lounger. The pool was cold and the whirlpool was more like bath water LOL. We had breakfast out on deck 19 in the morning and lunch there in the afternoon. On Friday they had grilled lobster!
3. Being escorted on and off when in port, especially in Grand Cayman (a YC perk). A butler brought us right to the gangway and we were on the first tender. On the way back, there was a HUGE line down the street. We saw a butler with a sign and just showed him our card. He brought us and others past everyone and right to the tender. 
4. Because we were black card holders (we did the status match) we received a free dinner in one of the specialty restaurants. We went to Butcher’s Block (delicious). We also chose to go to the French restaurant which was $23 US PP and it was fantastic (they had escargots, French onion soup, steak, crème brulee).
5. Having access to the thermal spa area was a plus. Large area, didn’t feel crowded – they also have a room with “snow” to cool off.
6. Mom really enjoyed getting gelato almost every afternoon at Venchi. We also enjoyed their chocolate martinis and bought some of their chocolate to take home for souvenirs.
7. The room was wonderful and the bathroom was gigantic for a cruise ship bathroom .

Cons:

7. 1. We didn’t feel like there were good choices/options in the Yacht Club dining room and a couple of nights we didn’t care for our meals. But the service was good and it was never crowded nor did we ever have to wait when we went around 6:30 pm.
   2. My cousin and her hubby had the Aurea experience and were on deck 9 with the extended balcony (9207). I don’t recommend this room. People on the decks above can look down on you and it was also above an outdoor restaurant. They did enjoy having the 2 massages with their packages and access to the thermal spa area.
   3. They said that the main dining room was a little chaotic. I know that it often took 2 hours for them to eat and they went at 6:30 pm (she said some kids were crying) -long waits in between courses. A friend  was also on the ship and they had 8:30 dining and it also took 2 hours to eat.
   4. The entertainment was no where near what we are used to on Royal. We only went to one show because it wasn’t very good☹.
   5. The muster drill was chaotic. We met in the casino. There were a few workers demonstrating how to put on a lifejacket and instructions were over the loudspeaker. People were still talking, drinking, not paying attention. 
   6. HUGE line up for self disembarkation. It took my friend an hour to get off.

We've been twice to Maya Chan! We were just there last week. Yes - the potholes were filled in. We saw the piles of dirt and had to maneuver around them on our way to and from. Here are some pictures. There was some seaweed (they were constantly raking) but the atmosphere and fantastic hospitality outweighs a little seaweed! We were getting drinks brought out to us in the water! 

We were just in Costa Maya last week. I highly recommend Maya Chan Beach for a beach day ($55 for adults; $49 for ages 8-17; $39 for ages 4-7; $19 for 0-3 years). The cost includes transportation to and from the port, drinks, lunch, paddleboards, kayaks, floats, and beach toys for kids to play with. It was a great day!