cruise-y

This excursion sounds like a whole lot of fun and I would love to do it. I spent 3 weeks in Jamaica once, roaming all over the island in a rental car, on dirt back roads and in teeny villages where no tourists go. The locals are so nice and friendly and love to talk about their interesting culture and beautiful island. The food is super. The water is such a gorgeous shade of turquoise. Sometimes the vendors can get a little annoying in the port cities but it sounds like this tour helps corral that. I'm jealous. Let us know about this if you do it.

Good point! But I think pretty much the same stingrays come to Stingray City because they know they are getting fed and have been conditioned to come up to people. Of course another one from the area could sneak in too, just to check it out! So yes, there could be barbs. I kinda think RC wouldn't do anything risky though. I remember checking for barbs and didn't see any. But stingrays lose their barbs often so it could have been a coincidence.

Stingray City was one of the coolest things I've ever done in the Caribbean. The stingrays are tame and come right up to you. As I recall, they mostly had their stingers removed (and this was before Steve Irwin's death so I assume they are all removed now). Their noses are as soft as velvet. My son was about 12 and he absolutely loved it and still talks about it 20 years later. You stand on a sand bar so you don't have to worry about swimming (and you are super buoyant in salt water anyway), although life jackets are provided if you want one. We took a catamaran out. A helper on our boat dove for conch, cut it up, marinated it and served us fresh ceviche on board. It was fabulous. We actually stayed in the Caymans so I don't know if the ship offers an excursion to Hell. It's on Grand Cayman. It is super interesting with bubbling sulfur pools and steam coming out of black limestone fissures. Kids love it. But I like geographical sites so I may be in the minority. It is rough walking and a little campy (send a postcard from Hell) but I liked it. If you are a scuba fan, the Caymans are pretty much the best place anywhere to scuba or snorkel. The water is crystal clear and there is an abundance of marine life and coral.

Excellent info. Thanks much

If you have already paid for a future cruise, how do you go back to apply any savings or OBC (if applicable)? Thanks

Is the service generally worse in MTD?

I agree with Doc. That excursion is an early morning start and there will be long lines at the tender. RC will herd all of its excursion members onto the first tender together. Meanwhile you could still be waiting in line to get off. Busses in Caribbean countries can be old and the roads are bad. Your bus could break down or get a flat. If you are on an excursion sponsored by RC, with lots of people from the ship, RC will make sure you all get back. Or hold the ship for all of you. The independents make assurances but you are still on your own. I wouldn't take the risk. I sat on a broken-down bus for 4 hours in a monsoon in the middle of a Jamaican jungle once. It turned out to be kinda fun because the local tour guide managed to scrounge up some rum punch and meat pies from a passing buddy to keep us pacified. He also pulled out a boom box and cranked up the reggae music so we wouldn't worry about the bus floating away as the road washed out from under us. Our excursion was canceled and I never got my money back. But I made a lot of new friends! Luckily I wasn't trying to get back to a ship, but if I had been I would've been screwed.

Steve - Thanks for a great post about the port. AND a super post about the onboard music! Very helpful! I assume the onboard compass will describe the times and locales for the different bands.

Yes that is true. Not any more expensive than other resorts. Just more expensive than your home town.

Froggirl - This is a good topic and I'm surprised there aren't more comments. It is the same question I used to have in the past and just had to wing it. Others have helped me here so I'll weigh in for you. 1) Yes, spa amenities are more expensive than you will pay at home. Not outrageously more, but more. And usually you get a little less time. Like a facial is maybe 50 minutes instead of 60 minutes. 2) If you are on a cruise that has 2 sea days in a row - on the second day you'll think, "Oh, I'll go book something at the spa since I'm hanging around the ship anyway." Everyone has the same idea so it will be packed and booked solid, especially if you are unlucky and have rain. Then you'll be disappointed you missed out. So, I always recommend booking before you go. The tip's included so that is out of the way. 3) If you enjoy spas, you already know they are relaxing and nice. You are on vacation so it is worth it. I always try to book something late on the second sea day when I've had enough sun. I like facials because I'm a bit dried up by then and need the moisturizing or exfoliating. The services you mentioned above sound nice too. 4) I tried the teeth whitening once and didn't get very good results. Maybe it was just me. Hope this helps!

Great! Thanks Matt

Sorry to ask a probably obvious question but this is my first Royal Caribbean cruise so I'm not familiar with My Time Dining. And you all have been so sweet here to answer my questions. I prepaid my entire trip upon booking. A few days ago I switched to My Time Dining, thinking there was no charge for that. I got a bill for $180 something and they said it was because I had to prepay my tips with My Time Dining. I'm totally fine with prepaying tips, but I'm wondering why it is different for My Time Dining? Is this prepaid tip just for the waitstaff or for everyone? Also, on other cruise lines, the tip is included with a bar tab, which is very convenient - is that true on Royal Caribbean too? Thanks again to all

I know I'm late answering this post, but I have a different take than others here. I love the water, snorkeling, the beach, pools, catamarans..... I go in the summer because the water is just too cool for me otherwise. It IS warmer in the southern Caribbean, but I've tried to go in early March and it felt too cool. Hawaii in December was too cool for me. Yes, there are more kids in the summer, but I don't mind kids. There are also lots of kids over the holidays - and Spring Breaks across the U.S. go from early March to late April. I don't go in the fall because of the weather. I know it's cheaper and usually ok, but both times I've tried it the weather was so stormy that shore excursions were cancelled and routes were changed. Once the main dining room was closed and we were all told to stay in our cabins while we tossed about. And that was on a big ship. Probably just my lousy luck though.

DocLC - Thanks very much for the tip on the post by Steve. It is super with a lot of good info. I'm familiar with the city of Galveston of course but this is our first cruise out of that port. Was a bit worried about finding parking but don't mind walking. My all-time favorite port to leave from was Granada - but that was a (now defunct) Barefoot Cruise and was a very small ship. We actually stayed at Chichen Itza for several days - 30 years ago, long before Cancun became so touristy. Lamanai in Belize may not be quite that impressive but we're really looking forward to it. Bobroo - Thanks to you as well for the excellent description of the cruise music. Yes, I know the western caribbean is not Soca based like the eastern caribbean, and that was my concern. But you made my day. If there is a reggae band by the pool I will be supremely happy. Liz

Thanks very much to everyone for their posts. I really enjoy your inputs and they are very helpful. We don't like to shop and rarely hang around in the port towns. We generally stick with ship-sponsored, all-day excursions with hiking to historical or geographical sites. We will be doing the River/Mayan tour in Belize and the Secret River in Cozumel. Honestly, I was mainly worried that I would have to listen to country western music on the sea days, around the pool, and in the shipboard bars at night. Hopefully that is not the case. I'm on an island cruise and want it to be island-y.

Men should definitely have long pants and a collared shirt for formal nights, but don't worry about packing a tie or a jacket. Yes, some people will be in tuxes but most others will not. You can wear the same thing for both formal nights - nobody cares. I live in the south and never, never, never wear closed shoes. Never. Pretty sandals and a quality pedicure are always my shoe of choice, for weddings or meeting the Pope or formal nights.

Michel - When I worked full time, vacations were limited due to work responsibilities. Thus, schedules were of the essence and I had to book close flights - with a young family in tow. And it was stressful. In retirement/self-employment, my options are much more open. Personally, I'd rather pay extra for a later flight than have to hustle around and worry about missing it. Especially flying back to Canada from the Gulf. If you don't have work responsibilities that require you to be back at a certain time, it's a no-brainer. You are on vacation. Enjoy it.

DocLC - As someone from Texas (who wants to get far AWAY from Texas shtick for a week), I do hope you enjoy the Space Center. What a great slice of history. If you have time to eat in Houston, the original Ninfa's on Navigation is super, especially the patio dining. When in Galveston, be sure and have some fried shrimp from the gulf. It's the best. I'd love to hear from others who have taken this itinerary. Especially the steel drum part! Liz

Thanks again, the blog post was very helpful! Booked it for the extra room, especially on the balcony, with no expectation of any perks. So all ok. Free wine is usually bad wine, anyway.

Thanks Matt! Yay

Booked a Junior Suite for the first time. I can't figure out what amenities that includes. When I look at the list of suite benefits, it always has an asterisk that says Junior Suites are not included. It seems we just get a coffee pot. So... do I get to check in/check out separately or anything like that? Is anything special done with my luggage? "Suite" is stamped on my Set Sail pass like that means something. But I think it's just a ruse so I can feel quasi-important. Do I get access to any lounges and free happy hours? Or is it really just.... the old coffee pot? Thanks!

Hi and thanks for this message board. It's a great help! We've been everywhere in the Caribbean many, many times and we especially love Caribbean music, culture and food. We chose the Cozumel/Honduras/Belize route because these are 3 places we haven't ever been to. We are especially looking forward to the Mayan ruins. I've read some blogs where it seems to imply that this route has lots of country western music and a Texas theme, assuming that is what everyone wants since the ship leaves out of Galveston. Nooooo! I need steel drums and a Mai Tai for a vacation. I can do Texas stuff at home. I hope somebody here who has taken this route will be kind enough to post and give me some hope. Thanks a bunch!