SPS

In Costa Maya, we took a really nice excursion to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins through a third-party vendor that included a really good traditional Mayan style lunch. (The tour was offered by The Native Choice through shoreexcursions.com). VERY knowledgeable tour guide (college archeology student) and very clean, comfortable transportation. The ruins are truly a sight to behold. In Cozumel, we took an excursion through RC called "All Inclusive Isla Pasion by Twister", a high-speed twisting boat ride to an island resort that included lunch, open bar, beach, and plenty of beach/water activities. While your in-laws may not want the intense boat ride, there are other, less intense options for getting to the island. Just look for the words "Isla Pasion".

All three excursions I booked through them provided the following cancellation/refund info: "Full refunds are available if cancellations are received 7 days prior to the tour departure date. You will receive a full refund should a ship miss or delay arrival into port. You will also receive a full refund if the excursion is cancelled by the tour operator for ANY reason (including weather). No refunds can be made for failure to be at the correct departure point or designated departure time. Please email [email protected] for any refund requests." We did require a refund for an itinerary change that made our sailing skip Icy Point Strait. After contacting the email address above, I was promptly issued a refund.

FYI: It is generally cheaper to book Alaskan excursions through the third-party vendors and many of them are the same (or nearly the same) excursions. We booked our Skagway and Juneau excursions for 2022 through Alaska Shore Excursions (AlaskaShoreExcursions.com) and could not have been more pleased.

"Bar Food" is what they generally serve at the Pubs that have a menu. When we sailed both on Odyssey and Quantum in 2022, their English pubs had some good food. We tried the Pulled Pork Nachos, Mac & Cheese Balls, and Burgers w/Fries. All were very good! We were disappointed that these items were not available at the Boot & Bonnett on Harmony.

We got there as part of an excursion that included a black sand beach visit. Frankly, that black sand was just WAY TOO HOT to enjoy. It was neat to see, but we ending up spending most of our time walking along the shoreline in the cooler wet sand and incoming waves.

For now, get the earliest time that you can currently grab and be sure to keep checking back to see if earlier times open up. I've seen earlier times open up at a later date and then updated our arrival time to snag an earlier boarding. Just be sure to update the time for all the members of your reservation.

Did not know that. I always have them added to the reservation at the time of booking.

It's a definite...................Maybe. Most of the time, the doors to the stateroom hallways are closed while the stateroom attendants prepare the rooms for oncoming guests, so you may not have access ahead of time. The best option may be to sneak away for a bit when access is granted without your birthday guest and place your decorations. Another option is to purchase a "Happy Birthday Decorations" package in the Cruise Planner. There are options to have birthday decorations set up in your stateroom on Day 1 and an option to have decorations and a cake (chocolate or vanilla).

Scaled down? No thanks! I want an entire Oasis-Class Windjammer worth of cookies! Anyway, my favorite is something I, unfortunately, haven't seen in our last three sailings. The flourless chocolate cake!

There's not a carry-on limit, but if you do want to have that many items with you, you may want to consider using a "carry-on size" rolling suitcase instead. Taking two backpacks place-to-place until staterooms are ready might be rather cumbersome. Just a suggestion.

It's recommended that your carry it on. One reason for this is so that it does not get damaged. Another unspoken reason is that, if in your checked bag, your luggage could get flagged for bringing a possible unauthorized item on board causing a trip to the "naughty room". (Probably not as fun as it sounds! ) I'm used to carrying it with me until staterooms are available at this point.

This is another advantage of having them added to your reservation when you book. You're locked in at the current rate and not subject to any increases. The other advantage being that they will already be paid for in advance of your cruise. One less thing added to your post-cruise credit card bill!

Can you add a space at the end of the second sentence? I about fell out of my chair thinking you were gifted $1000 of OBC! Made me think, "WHAT? I really gotta find a good TA!!!"

As a point of reference, I've been keeping an eye on massage prices for Navigator in January 2025. (I always treat my wife to a Day 1 massage to start off the cruise feeling more relaxed and "officially" enter vacation mode!) Right now (Oct 16), a 50-minute Deep Tissue Massage on Embarkation Day is $138.99 ($166.78 after added gratuity). Sea Day price $198.99 ($238.78 after added gratuity) Port Day price $158.99 ($190.78 after added gratuity) These prices are listed as being 30% off the onboard price. (Of course, prices vary with the massage type and duration)

We've been using Allianz for a couple years now. It was just a good piece of mind to have while having travel plans in the "height of COVID" era. Good rates and several options to weigh against your needs/wants in coverage. Easy to purchase and they have a useful app. Fortunately, we have not had the need to file any claims yet. I can't speak to the annual plans, since (unfortunately) we don't get to travel as much as we would like!

My wife officially started packing for this cruise today Instead of simply boxing up her summer clothes to put them away for the winter, she packed them in her suitcase for January!

On Harmony back in January, we were looking out from our balcony at this exact area. My wife said, "I'm surprised no one has done anything with that." I guess someone high up from RC overheard her!

I think UTTERLY PANICKED would be better description for unknowing people showing up to see the ship leaving.

This has been my favorite change. We like reporting to our muster station right when we get onboard. Walk up, check in with the staff, show them that you've done your safety briefs on the app, AND GET ON WITH OUR VACATION FESTIVITIES!!!

THIS! We once sailed on Navigator out of Miami on the day it arrived from Europe. The ship arrived slightly late and this combined with a lengthy processing resulted in a very delayed disembarkation. As a result, the ship "turn around" and boarding for embarking passengers did not begin until about two hours later than expected.

Light Saving? Treatment? Yacht? This is the sort of thing that drives longtime users to believe some new members are bots!

Absolutely, visit the Mayan ruins in Costa Maya! I'd like to suggest a third-party vendor we did this with. We booked the "Mayan Experience" through shoreexcursions.com (tour provided by The Native Choice tours). The tour at the ruins was guided by our VERY knowledgeable guide, Edar (a college archeology student) and after the ruins site we were driven to a small village and treated to an authentic Mayan lunch prepared and served at the home of Mayan family. SO delicious. Unlike many tour vehicles you come across in the Caribbean, the company uses very new, comfortable, air-conditioned vans.

THIS is why I'm a hybrid analog/digital guy. Everything in digital and an envelope of hard copies as a backup. Setsail passes, cruise invoice, airline boarding passes, hotel reservations, transportation/rental car reservations, itineraries, excursion info/reciepts, etc. I know there's a 99%+ chance I won't need ANY of these things, but I like having the proof in my hands. Plus, preparing it all is something to occupy my time as the excitement and anticipation of our next cruise builds!

Yeah, I think people are more apt to leave reviews on their negative experiences while people that are satisfied generally don't leave a review and move on with their lives. (Much like the "one and done" message board posters here!)