MeaganA

We actually live in Toccoa ?

Toccoa area? We are in West Georgia.  When We go to Costa Maya we usually get out to the countryside - I know that’s not what you’re wanting to do, but if you happen to see any of that honey pineapple and that ground, dried jalapeño with salt baggies, please mail me some!

It is maybe a 5 minute ride by either taxi or shuttle.  It's far enough away that you cannot walk but close enough that it is not a big deal.  The shuttle runs only 1 way....for reasons  unknown.  You can catch the shuttle over but have to get a taxi back.  It makes for a very inexpensive day but you do have to contend with the peddlers which can be a nuisance.

We did the Deluxe beach break at Playa Mia and had a wonderful time!  They treated us well, and had a wonderful time, I would gladly go back again! The only complaint that we had was that it was about a 30-40 minute drive from the cruise terminal.  

Awesome.  I'm NE of Atlanta, just barely in Gwinnett.  8 days and counting ?

Yes!! We will have our two teenage daughters with us! 
Btw I’m in Georgia as well. Northeast. 

I know for me, I like tipping additionally for exceptional service in addition to the built in gratuities.  I like bringing cash with me to tip exceptional cabin stewards on the spot, or an exceptional waiter or bartender.  I like recognizing exceptional service when I see it.  I believe it encourages continuing the exceptional service that I see.  
 
I never feel obligated to tip additionally though because I do pay my gratuities in advance.  But I like knowing that my additional gratuity is going directly into the hands of the person I intend it to rather than under the generic "staff" and being split among people who I dont know if their service is exceptional or not.  
Also I make a point of writing on a sticky note or on my smartphone notes the names of people who performed exceptionally for that after cruise survey so that they can be recognized and get selected for their next contract if they choose another one.  
 
Another thing I like doing for the staff, just because I'm strange like that.  But I think they appreciate it.  I like bringing a small trinket from my home town for them.  I especially like doing this for my cabin steward.  Usually its something small like a tshirt, or a unique body wash or lotion, or a pin.  Usually I give the pin to waitstaff or bartender and the lotion to a cabin steward. I know if I was working for months and months straight at sea with limited access to interesting new items that I'd like these things, so I just bring some small things for them and I attach a note that this gift is for them.
 

I did this back in November and plan to do it for all my future cruises after reading how important calling out great service by name is on the survey. I found that keeping a running list in the notes section of my phone worked beautifully to help me remember names and what I wanted to say throughout the cruise. I ended up just copy and pasting that into the “comments” section of the survey when it came in. 

^^^This is the general consensus from the last few cruises that I have taken.  I have made more of an effort to ask in the last year and this is consistently mentioned from all the crew members that I have spoken to regardless of their position.  We always note specific names now on our post cruise survey.

This, along with the comfort of knowing that I don't have to worry about how much (or little) I drink, is why we always buy the package now.  I just don't want to have to worry about it.

Perfect! This is exactly what I was hoping you would say. I don't know if we will use it enough to cover every penny, however, the paying ahead in case we do and not having a large bill on the last night of the cruise certainly is appealing. 

Perfect! This is exactly what I was hoping you would say. I don't know if we will use it enough to cover every penny, however, the paying ahead in case we do and not having a large bill on the last night of the cruise certainly is appealing. 

Yes! Thank you everyone. I went online and was able to go ahead and check them in and put them on my credit card and I will just go get extra keys at the guest services on board. Thank you all!