Firefly

i would love elite drink vouchers on celebrity 😂 

I’ve done this excursion booked through Royal twice, once with each of my teenage sons on separate cruises. We really enjoyed it and thought it was worth the price we paid which was about $50pp on sale. The ruins are smaller, but still interesting considering we haven’t visited the larger ruins on the mainland. The tour at the Mayan Coco Company was also very interesting, you learn the history of the cocoa bean and how the Mayans made chocolate. Overall the tour lasted about 4 to 4.5 hours so there was time after the tour to explore the port a bit. Not sure what the are doing now, but the first time I took the tour we also stopped at El Mirador beach for 20 minutes or so. The second time I took the tour we stopped at the  Mayan Bee Sanctuary. Both of these places offered bathrooms and beverages/snacks for purchase. 

We did one in 2022 at Coco Cay. We didn’t purchase ahead of time, but the night before our day at Coco Cay they called our room asking if we would be interested in a private photo session while at our cabana, no pressure to buy anything. (Guess they were desperate for family sessions in hopes someone would buy pictures afterwards) The pictures actually turned out really nice when we went to view them at the photo gallery. They were rediculously overpriced and as much as we liked them, we left the photo gallery without purchasing. Later that evening my husband returned and chatted with the photographer/salesman (same person in our case) and offered a much lower price for a 13x17 metal print (shipped to us) and several other digital prints with the permission to print wherever we wished. They accepted and we got the photos we loved for a price no more than what we pay at home. Don’t be affraid to bargin. My advice would be to talk to someone on the ship personally instead of purchasing ahead online. 

I looked at this tour last year but ended up just visiting the Pirate Museum. Interested to hear about your tour, we might consider the tour next time we are in Nassau. (We usually stay on the ship)

Cruise prices these days are insane, and not just for Star. We will definitely NOT be booking. All of the sudden college tuition prices are looking like a deal. ( We have a high school senior this year making his college decision) I’m really bummed that after our upcoming Christmas cruise we have nothing at all booked. We prefer the smaller ships and cruising out of Port Canaveral so who knows when we will sail again. 

We did a ocean view balcony guarantee booking once on Oasis because that’s all that was available. Like the poster above said it showed up as XB balcony guarantee. There was a neighborhood balcony guarantee available for booking too, so there was a difference at the time we booked. We ended up being assigned with a cabin on deck 14 under one of the big overhangs, (not the hot tub) and I was initially worried about noise from the pool deck above, but it was never an issue. 

Royal always docks at Town Center/Coxen Hole . (Mahogany Bay is exclusively Carnival and their other brands.) There is not much at Town Center - a few shops, a duty free store,leather shop, jewelry etc. Think typical port shops, just on a MUCH smaller scale than places like Cozumel and Costa Maya. This is definitely a port to pre plan an excursion unless you plan on just staying on the ship. 

Royal always docks at Town Center/Coxen Hole . (Mahogany Bay is exclusively Carnival and their other brands.) There is not much at Town Center - a few shops, a duty free store,leather shop, jewelry etc. Think typical port shops, just on a MUCH smaller scale than places like Cozumel and Costa Maya. This is definitely a port to pre plan an excursion unless you plan on just staying on the ship. 

I have made it onboard Symphony and have settled into my new home for the next 7 months.
 
Once again, I am very excited to share with you guys my adventures over the course of this contract. It was a tough decision for me to come back to work, some of you may know that I went through some difficult circumstances back home, but I am happy to be back!
 
 

Inflatable mattress pad - the beds are soooo hard!
motion activated nightlight for the bathroom on older ships
PooPouri Spray
Wristlet that holds my phone, seapass card and cash for bar tips

Inflatable mattress pad - the beds are soooo hard!
motion activated nightlight for the bathroom on older ships
PooPouri Spray
Wristlet that holds my phone, seapass card and cash for bar tips

24 Days! Not bad for my first full year of doing cruises. 

Think they could have picked some more exciting highlights for where I explored though. 

@Firefly That's actually a really fun way to look at it!

Hard to believe I spent 1 of every 10 nights on a cruise this year! 

Hard to believe I spent 1 of every 10 nights on a cruise this year! 

Hard to believe I spent 1 of every 10 nights on a cruise this year! 

Unfortunately, no milkshakes at all on Brilliance  ☹️

I’m quoting myself so I can take responsibility for my snide remark…and add a correction.
Bermuda did in fact refund the $40 back to my credit card.
I was wrong. Mea Culpa. 
Love ya Bermuda!🥰

At the cabin prices I just saw today? Not anytime soon! 😵
I guess I'll wait it out for a while.

Looks absolutely incredible, especially for families who are looking for lots of thrills and activities to entertain the kids. That said, I highly doubt our family will sail Icon as we prefer the more relaxed smaller and midsized ships. Oasis class, and now Icon, are just way too big for us - too many people, lines and crowds. We cruise to relax, chill and enjoy the culture of ports, but I know many cruise for the ship. Icon will no doubt be a hit with families. 

Looks absolutely incredible, especially for families who are looking for lots of thrills and activities to entertain the kids. That said, I highly doubt our family will sail Icon as we prefer the more relaxed smaller and midsized ships. Oasis class, and now Icon, are just way too big for us - too many people, lines and crowds. We cruise to relax, chill and enjoy the culture of ports, but I know many cruise for the ship. Icon will no doubt be a hit with families. 

Looks absolutely incredible, especially for families who are looking for lots of thrills and activities to entertain the kids. That said, I highly doubt our family will sail Icon as we prefer the more relaxed smaller and midsized ships. Oasis class, and now Icon, are just way too big for us - too many people, lines and crowds. We cruise to relax, chill and enjoy the culture of ports, but I know many cruise for the ship. Icon will no doubt be a hit with families. 

On Mariner now - Drink of the day is $11 (plus grats)

My 16 year old son has Autism but at this age does much better with lines, wait times etc, but when he was younger it was much more difficult, so I understand where you are coming from. We haven’t disclosed our son’s diagnosis while cruising because we honestly don’t require any accommodations at this point. However, this past February when we were in line to check in for Brilliance in Tampa, we were the first family at the corral for our time slot - we had the second slot, 11am and we were right on time. Back then they strickly enforced check in times then so most other corrals had long lines and unhappy, grumbling people.  I was chatting with the port personel lady while waiting for the line ahead to move before they let more people in the building. After interacting with my son, she pulled me aside and asked if he had a disability. I said yes and a few moments later when they let more people onto the building she walked us to a check in person that had no line (probably the key/ suite line) and we zipped through and where walking on the ship a few minutes later. If you have any concerns at all definitely reach out to the port personnel as well as crew once on board. Have a great cruise!

Thanks. This eases my mind. We as well, don't usually disclose his diagnosis, but lines and loud noises are still a challenge. We are not looking for any privileges, but more-so not to incommodate other passengers.
Again, Thanks