cruise-y

It's been years since I've been to St. John but is one of my favorite islands in the Caribbean. The water and beaches are just magnificent. It is away from the hustle and bustle. Yes, laid back, which I loved.

Does anyone know if RCCL will be adding Cuba as a cruise stop out of Galveston in the future? It's so close to Jamaica and sure would be nice to do something besides Cozumel for a change.

I like the idea of doing something on Cozumel itself. That tender ride to Playa del Carmen can be brutal.

Lelms - I don't know what your interests are, but we don't like hanging out in bars either and don't like shopping. We went to the Hemingway House and had a wonderful time. It was so fascinating and honestly the highlight of my visit there. We weren't on a cruse so I don't know how far it is from the port but nothing is too far. We also rented scooters and zoomed around.

Thank you! Good info. I was wondering if we'd be allowed to take a taxi back on our own at a later time. I assume that's ok? Are there taxis available there at the site? I didn't know if that might be restricted since they give you a drink wrist band and might not want you hanging around longer than the set time.

Can anyone comment about this Cozumel excursion? Mexican Cuisine Workshop and Playa Mia Grand Beach. The cooking class/lunch gets pretty good reviews but Trip Advisor doesn't have much good to say about Playa Mia Grand Beach. This 5-hour excursion starts at 9:00 for some weird reason and I'm worried that there won't be much beach time. Or the beach won't be nice. We'd like to rent a 2-person catamaran there. If anyone can give some insight I'd be appreciative. Thank you.

If you want bottled water you have to buy it. You can buy it ahead of time and they will leave a pack in your room before you board. The only problem is that these are huge bottles (double the normal size) so they are not at all easy to carry around on shore excursions, to the pool, next to your bed at night, etc. We purchase this package every time we cruise, but it irks me to have to do so, and the huge size of the individual bottles irks me as well. I know some people bring their own crates of water and soft drinks, but I have enough luggage to carry without adding that.

Maybe this has already been answered, but I'm a bit confused. There IS a coffee maker in the JS. I can attest to that. It uses those little round packets that you put in the top and then you load it with water that heats up and drops though. You have to fill the pot with water from the sink (which isn't easy because the pot doesn't fit well under the spout) and then pour it in. Frankly, I wasn't enamored with it. On the Promenade deck, there is an area (where the sandwiches and morning pastries are) that has big plastic vats of coffee. Free. I schlepped down there every morning and got my coffee. I ran down (skipping the elevators) and was back up in no time, chilling on my deck looking out at the beautiful ocean while my hubby snoozed. There aren't any irons. Don't pack anything that needs to be ironed. Nobody cares.

Chicen Itza is historically fantastic. If you have a chance to go, without a long drive, it is well worth it. 30 years ago, when it was not at all well-trodden, we drove a rental car there and spent the night. Very primitive but one of our best trips ever. That would make Progresso a must-do stop for me. But maybe not for everyone.

Thanks Doc. Yes, I think they do state if the view is obstructed. Good to know.

We always book Junior Suites and for the first time I have one that is right on the "elbow" of the rounded area that sticks out about 2/3 of the way down the ship. For those in the know, room 9328 on Liberty of the Seas. Will being right next to the protrusion block my view? If I look toward that area will I be looking into other peoples' balconies? I'm always so impressed by the wealth of knowledge on this board and everyone's willingness to help. So many of you cruise RCCL so much that you know everything. I would never think of asking something like this on any other cruise board. Thank you!

On ships that leave from the U.S., usually one of the smaller lines around the corner (which are often missed) will have stewed tomatoes (which are so good with scrambled eggs - the Brits got that right for sure), maybe some hot rice pudding and a curry. I've seen blood sausages. You have to search for it, but it's usually there. Sometimes they have a small sign that says "International". As long as we're talking about Windjammer breakfast, I wish they'd have more tropical fruits like passion fruit, mango, papaya and guava. Especially when we are in the Caribbean.

Does anyone know how often RC might change itineraries out of the same port? We like to sail out of Galveston only because it is so close and convenient and we don't have to fly. But for several years the only two choices have been Cozumel-Grand Cayman-Jamaica OR Cozumel-Honduras-Maybe Belize. We love all those ports but we're tired of that. Especially Cozumel. If RC would just come up with a new itinerary, I'd be on it in a heart beat. And I don't mean the "private island" thing. I realize they are somewhat limited due to location in the western Caribe, but still.......

If you really want to make sure you get a spot on a sea day, I'd book in advance. Yes, you may miss out on deals but the one time I tried to book onboard, every sea day spot was long taken. As others have mentioned, you can usually get a slot on a port day or on embarkation day, but I don't want services at those times.

Thanks for keeping this post updated Steve. We cruised out of Galveston in 2015 and are heading there again this July. It was very helpful to see the changes and also the good advice about hotels, parking and restaurants. I never thought to stay at the Harbor House until I saw your recommendation. Glad to hear the terminal situation is much improved. Thanks again, very appreciated.

If you are really interested in Mesoamerican history, there's nothing like Chichen Itza. It's a famous Mayan jungle site with everything - ballpark, pyramid, art, sculpture, sacrificial pool, etc. Take in the scenery during your bus ride. You'll never forget it.

On our last cruise to Cozumel we went to the Amazing Secret River (and it truly was amazing). The excursion included a lunch buffet in a little pavillion outside by the cave. It was nothing short of great. We never thought a single thing about it - we ate all of the salads and veggies and meats in the buffet and drank water and fresh juice and never had one single problem. RCCL makes sure the food-included excursions are totally safe. I've been deep into Mexico a zillion times and have had problems in the past, especially in the Sierra Madre area, but you can rest assured that the RCCL excursions are A-OK.

I really, really, really did feel extra pressure to add more than the 18% on RCCL. And I didn't feel that at all on Oceania. I'm just being honest here. At the spa on RCCL, the tech stood right over me while I signed the tab. She watched every single pen stroke. Talk about intimidating. At the bar on RCCL, the bartender clearly... clearly... gave better/faster service to those who added an additional tip. I saw a guy wait 20 minutes for drinks while others were constantly served ahead of him, only because they tipped extra. The suite and wait staff put big envelopes on our pillows and on our MDR dinner plates for extra tips. You felt like a schmuck if you didn't add more than the automatic 18%. On Oceania, there isn't even a line on the bar or spa tab to add an extra tip. You have to go out of your way to add it. Nobody stood over us. Nobody ever left us an extra envelope. Nobody provided better service than normal. It was much more relaxing. I'm sure we paid more for the basic price, but honestly, for me it was worth it. I guess you can ignore the pressure. I'm just too much of a chicken.

RedRambler - Everyone here has given you great advice. If you've never eaten sushi before, my advice is to start out with things that are cooked. They are still served "sushi style" so you get the drift and can get your training wheels. You can pick them up and eat them by hand or with your chopsticks. That would be California rolls (with cooked cold crabmeat), Tempura rolls (with fried shrimp), vegetable rolls (cucumber for example), spider rolls (with panfried soft-shell crab), tamago or tamagoyaki (which has cold cooked omelets inside), pieces with sea eel (which is always cooked) or smoked salmon. Don't be afraid to ask your server, but if you start with cooked pieces, you can feel comfortable and then graduate to the raw stuff (which you will eventually love). Kudos for trying new foods!

Hello Guest - Your hubs will be perfectly ok with cargo pants, a collared shirt and closed athletic shoes. You can dress up a bit yourself and then nobody will notice him. Order some drinks with dinner and your waiter will be so happy with the automatic 18% he won't mind your attire one bit. As others have noted, if you feel uncomfortable you can always eat in the buffet. I hope you can get him out to the sail-away deck party, because nobody knows anyone else, so he won't feel like he has to mingle at all. (It's not at all like an office party where you feel odd standing by yourself.) I'm not that social either and I always go to the sail-away party. Free drinks, live music and you can just lean over the balcony and enjoy the view.

If you have a deck with your room, just open the sliding glass door and enjoy the ocean air. That's what we always do. It lulls us to sleep. I had a close friend who was on the Carnival "poop cruise" a couple of years ago. She had an inside room and had to drag her mattress up to an open area (with a grand baby no less) in order to sleep. It was a nightmare. She was texting me that Carnival was bringing them only hot dogs to eat. So I guess it's all relative.

I love a spa treatment. And yes, it is a lot more expensive on a cruise than in your hometown. For sure it is more expensive on sea days, but if you book in advance (before you sail) you can assure a spot. When you are sun-scorched and wrinkly from jet skis and hiking, it is nice to have a moisturizer and softener. Be careful of the up-sell, though. I like Waaaytooo's advice to tell them upfront you don't want to buy extras, although I'm always worried they will shortchange my service if I tell them that. My gripe with RCL is that even though they automatically add 18% (which is fine) they also expect you to add an additional trip. After the treatment they stand there and watch you sign the tab and it can be intimidating to cross through that extra tip line. I guess I'm a pushover and next time I will need to grow a backbone.

Fmanke - We always really enjoy the Main Dining Room's variety. There are a lot of innovative dishes. If you live in a big city and are used to steak and sushi, then skip the extra-charge restaurants. If you live in a smaller town, these specialty restaurants might be more fun. (I've lived in both). We find the buffet to be great for breakfast or lunch (especially if you take a plate out to your lounger by the sea). But the buffet is kind of pedestrian for dinner.

So.... we like to do the Galveston cruises (although they are really limited) because we live in Texas and can just drive down. But, our work and family circumstances make it hard to plan ahead. If I book at the last minute, can I still get good cabin and shore excursion options? Will I pay more or less? We usually do the Junior Suite. Will it be sold out? I see many here who have cruises planned well over a year in advance. There's no way we can to that. Too many variables with overseas family, new grand babies, work commitments, etc. Thanks friends

I don't understand why you would pay extra to eat at Johnny Rockets. You can get burgers and hot dogs in Windjammer. On Sea Days, they set up a pool-side buffet with burgers and hot dogs. You can eat at Sonic (and a dozen other burger places) in any home town.