baltodave

This one looks interesting: https://belizecruiseexcursions.com/excursion/belize-x-stream-cave-tubing/ Have you (or anyone else) used this company?

Hi all, We're taking Rhapsody in late January to Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel. We are set for Costa Maya (Maya Chan), Roatan (Monkey/Sloth Hangout), and Cozumel (Nachi Cocom). Any recommendations for an excursion in Belize that won't break the bank? Or should we stay on the ship? Thanks!

Those shower stalls (the ones with the doors) remind me of this device from the Woody Allen's movie "Sleeper":

The one slight exception is that if the point is 5 or 9, they'll "let" you put $6 behind the pass line.

My wife and her parents are booked on Majesty OTS to Cuba in November. They've paid the deposit but still owe the balance. I wonder if that cruise will still happen.

We've had ocean views on lower decks of Voyager class and Freedom class ships. One great advantage (in addition to the savings) is that on port days, when you return to the ship, you don't need to wait for the elevators. You just hop up one or 2 flights of steps (depending on which deck you are on). I think the only times we used the elevators were to get to the pool deck, Windjammer and fitness center. That being said, all things equal, balconies are great but they usually cost more. I'm just saying that the ocean views on the lower decks have advantages. We've never been on a Radiance or Vision class ship so I can't speak to the noise from the Centrum.

Hi Everyone, We are going on Freedom of the Seas next week (March 3rd out of San Juan) and wanted to know if they will allow us to bring our powerstrip/surge protector. This is the one we have: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ATZJ5YS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Anyway, we have brought it on previous cruises without any problems and wanted to know if there will be any issues bringing it on FOS. If so, should we pack it in a carry-on or one of our large suitcases? Thanks!

Or.. If you don't want to use Google, just go to southwest.com, scroll to the bottom and click the "Flight Schedules" link (bottom of 2nd column). I agree that the day flights open up on SWA, you'll find the best prices (whether using $$ or points). Typically, you can start booking flights between 6:30 and 7:30 ET the morning that flights are released. If they don't appear online, just call reservations.

Not sure if this has been discussed before... Other than the luggage tags, does anyone print their eDocs? Is it necessary? Maybe only certain pages? Thanks!

My wife and I made Platinum during the beginning of our last cruise. When there was no recognition, I stopped by the C&A desk. Later that day (or the next day), we returned to our stateroom to find a nice note with a couple pins and 2 C&A beach towels.

There are two airports in Hoston: Bush and Hobby. Hobby is way closer (about 45 minutes to/from Galveston) than Bush (which can take 90 minutes). If you live near an airport that is served by Southwest Airlines, use them and fly to Hobby. BTW, we used Galveston Limousine from Hobby to Galveston last year and had no issues.

I'll be anxious to hear your "report" since my wife and I will be on Freedom on the March 3 cruise (ABC Islands & St. Maarten).

A little off topic but we visited Maya Chan last May (2018) and had an awesome time. We highly recommend it. And this was in spite of the icky water and sea grass (which I read has gotten better). JUST GO! We loved it so much that we booked another cruise for early next year that stops in Costa Maya just so we could go back there. As others have described, when we assembled at the meeting point we were shown pictures of the beach taken that morning and could have cancelled. One of the others had been there several times before and convinced us to go (so glad we listened to her). Lunch tip: Try a sea bass soft taco... Yum!! Also, if you like playing with dogs, take a small bag of dog treats. We had a blast playing with one of their dogs on the beach.

Another option (that we have used) is Cocoa Beach Shuttle. We've been very pleased with them. Not as inexpensive as the large shared buses but they are very reliable and somewhat flexible.

Since, we're now within 90 days of our cruise (FOTS out of San Juan March 3) I can now start the online checkin process. Are there any compelling reasons to do this now or is it better to wait until it's a bit closer to the cruise date? Thanks!

I've used the track on Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class ships and I have to say the track on the Oasis class ships are the best of the three! On Voyager and Freedom they are on an upper deck with a lot of deck chairs sticking out in the way (especially in the afternoons). Plus on the Voyager and Freedom class ships, when the ship is cruising, the head-wind (when running towards the front), can be brutal. On Oasis ships, while there's still a head-wind, it's not as bad because the ships itself acts as wind barrier. Also, since the ship is so big, I think it was around 2.5 laps to a mile. One final thing, on hot days, it felt great when you run by the doors of the fitness center because you would feel a rush of cool A/C!

Yes, we have sailed Oasis once (had Boardwalk Balcony). While it's enormous, because of the number of eating venues, we never felt crowded there. However, I didn't like having to make reservations for the entertainment (not necessary on Voyager & Freedom class). Also, while the aqua show is very cool, I liked the laid-back vibe of having the belly-flop contest, sexiest man, etc at the main pool (rather than the aqua theater on Oasis). We all just sat around the side of the pool and had some good laughs. So, now I've been on Voyager, Freedom and Oasis class and I think I prefer the Voyager or Freedom class ships more (they are similar). We didn't meet any Europeans on Liberty but did meet some Mexicans (I thought it was funny that they traveled to Texas for a cruise to Mexico!). I think you'll be fine (especially since there won't be much of a language barrier).

We sailed on Liberty at the end of May and had a wonderful time (even though the weather was not great). It's still a Freedom class ship so it's not small at all! Being from Maryland, I think we were the only ones from the east coast and that was just fine. Yes, the vast majority of the guests were from Texas and Oklahoma (there's even a large Texas flag hanging in the Promenade). Personally, I liked the vibe of the ship and its passengers; everyone was extremely nice. One word of advice: try to fly into Hobby/HOU (easy for us since Southwest is the predominate airline at BWI) the day before, stay near the airport and take a shuttle to the port the next day. (If that's not possible, just remember that Bush/IAH airport is at least 90 minutes from Galveston) In fact, I think the ride from Hobby to Galveston is shorter than Orlando to Port Canaveral.

Send an email to [email protected] and include your reservation number, ship name and departure date. Ask them for the entertainment lineup and they'll respond with all the bands, comedians, headliners, etc. (usually takes a couple weeks).

Well, for our May 20-27 we pre-booked Galveston Limousine and had no problems with them. In fact they were very accommodating. When we flew to Hobby a day early and changed our plans, they took us from Hobby to one of the motels on Galveston Beach. The only issue was that they cancelled our original (10am) bus. They gave us the option of taking the 11am van (which we did) or cancelling (we were emailed the night before). Going back to Hobby on May 27, we also had no issues even though we were late getting off the ship. A little off topic but since we're talking about Galveston, we took Uber from Galveston Beach to the ship. The fare was only about $9 but since we were stuck in traffic (dealing with 2 large ships -- Royal and Carnival), I tipped the Uber driver $5. Still, pretty inexpensive Word to the wise: Because you never know about delays, don't book early flights to get home. We had a 3PM flight out of Hobby so we didn't care that we were delayed getting off the ship.

Well, it's showing 9.99/day for me:

I apologize if this has already been discussed... When will the schedules for summer 2020 be released? In particular, for Grandeur OTS out of Baltimore.

We have a cruise on Freedom 3/3/19 out of San Juan and I was curious if the "First Night Done Right" was going to be offered. When I logged into the Cruise Planner, I noticed it was replaced with a BOGO offer for $40. At first, it seemed like a good idea but when I read the details, I learned that it's only good for the first 2 nights. Since the 2nd night is usually pretty good in the MDR (usually the first formal night), I'm going to pass. I also noticed the price of the Classic Soda package increased from $8.50/day to $9.99/day. That's a 17.5% increase!! Looks like I'll be drinking lots of water on that cruise (healthier anyway).

We are taking Liberty OTS May 20-27 with stops in Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel. I'd like to go snorkeling in Roatan (I've heard Tabyana is great for that) and would rather avoid paying RC's inflated prices for their excursions (unless it's the only option). Has anyone gone snorkeling there without pre-planning an excursion? Or am I better off just overpaying RC or go with a 3rd-party? Suggestions? Thanks!

Thanks! Off the main page (don't log in), click "Already Booked" and then "Cruise Planner". On the next page, click "Reserve Now" and on the following page, you'll need to enter your last name, reservation number, departure date and ship.