Dawn T. Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 I am really enjoying following along here. @twangster you take AMAZING photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 The nighttime photos are worth the click alone! lauraodonnell86 and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Can anyone go to the area of the Helipad or is it like a Diamond Plus thing? LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 10 minutes ago, Boston Babe said: Can anyone go to the area of the Helipad or is it like a Diamond Plus thing? LOL Anyone. If there are high winds they will close access but other than that it's open to anyone onboard. Boston Babe and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 11 minutes ago, twangster said: Anyone. If there are high winds they will close access but other than that it's open to anyone onboard. Not on all ships though right? Isn't it closed off on Oasis class ships and opened for special events only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HLWIser Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 11 hours ago, twangster said: I can't get over these pics! They are amazing! There's so much color on the pool deck.. are all Freedom class like this? I went on Indy way back in 2008 and haven't been on any of her sisters. The Galveston port of Liberty has always deterred me, but I am really itching to try it out... iluvwineandtravel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 @HLWIser, you will soon learn that @twangster blogs are dangerous for your wallet. He has played a role in many new cruise bookings, camera, camera parts, and electronic purchases for lots of people ever since he started live blogging ? HLWIser, LetsTryThisPlace, SpeedNoodles and 5 others 3 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 On 3/1/2018 at 7:58 AM, Sabrinaklai said: Not on all ships though right? Isn't it closed off on Oasis class ships and opened for special events only? Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class have helipad access. Anthem has a Winch pad. You can only get there by booking a photo session with a ship photographer. I assume all Quantum class are the same. Oasis class has a helipad sail away party one day for GS and above suite guests. On 3/1/2018 at 7:59 AM, HLWIser said: I can't get over these pics! They are amazing! There's so much color on the pool deck.. are all Freedom class like this? I went on Indy way back in 2008 and haven't been on any of her sisters. The Galveston port of Liberty has always deterred me, but I am really itching to try it out... Freedom, Liberty and Independence all have the same main pool deck. The colored columns on Liberty are shorter. Otherwise the adult only Solarium and main pool decks are very similar. I found flying into Hobby airport (HOU) easier as opposed to Bush airport (IAH). $50 Lyft ride, left hotel ~9am, 1 hour drive. Liberty was a pretty inexpensive cruise, under $400 pp (2 x for solo). While the Lyft ride is $30 more than cruising from Port Everglades or Cape Liberty, the cruise fare was much less. $30 is really nothing in the bigger picture. I'll do Galveston again. Freedom: Independence: HLWIser, accio7 and Lovetocruise2002 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Did you get off the ship in Roatan? If so, what did you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiselife Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 4 hours ago, twangster said: I found flying into Hobby airport (HOU) easier as opposed to Bush airport (IAH). $50 Lyft ride, left hotel ~9am, 1 hour drive. Liberty was a pretty inexpensive cruise, under $400 pp (2 x for solo). While the Lyft ride is $30 more than cruising from Port Everglades or Cape Liberty, the cruise fare was much less. $30 is really nothing in the bigger picture. I'll do Galveston again. I live in Texas so it's a little different for me, but I have never had a problem with Galveston's port and it's actually a pretty cool town if you know where to go. It's certainly no Miami, but Galveston definitely has a few things going for it. One of those things is definitely great rates on Liberty. For anyone who is there the day before a cruise there is a historic area downtown called The Strand that is worth checking out. Pleasure Pier is also a pretty cool little amusement park located on a pier hanging over the water. It is all lit up at night and also looks really cool from the beach during the day with the rollercoasters and Ferris Wheel in the background. It makes for some great photos on the beach. Great Photos on this live blog @twangster. I went on the same cruise last April and it's been fun reliving it through this blog. RestingBird 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 4 hours ago, twangster said: I found flying into Hobby airport (HOU) easier as opposed to Bush airport (IAH). $50 Lyft ride, left hotel ~9am, 1 hour drive. Liberty was a pretty inexpensive cruise, under $400 pp (2 x for solo). While the Lyft ride is $30 more than cruising from Port Everglades or Cape Liberty, the cruise fare was much less. $30 is really nothing in the bigger picture. I'll do Galveston again. Yes, agree, IAH is all the way north of Houston, so if you can fly in to Hobby, it is best, Galveston and Liberty have become my go to cruise, if I can't find something else I would prefer, different ship, different itinerary etc., I always fall back on Liberty because I know she is close, drive-able, and a great ship, I'm getting a little tired of Cozumel, but at least it is decent sized island and I can always find something to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Day 5 - Costa Maya We arrived on time but going topside I felt like we were station keeping 1/2 mile from the pier. Sure enough the Captain came on to announce a Costa ship was having difficulty getting tied up at the pier in the wind. I hadn't even noticed the wind until I went outside. It was pretty windy. Soon enough the pilot boat came our way and we began to approach. One of the benefits of azipod drives is incredible maneuverability and I learned on the Indy bridge tour that the Freedom class ships are like sports cars in terms of power. Captain James had no difficulty making the pier despite a significant wind blowing us directly from the side and in the direction of the pier. I'm sure it wasn't as easy as he made it look. My last visit here was four or five years ago and they have done a lot with the cruise port area. It's really quite nice here. There is a snorkel area as well as a dolphin area right at the port - walking distance from the ship (both for a charge). The pool area has been expanded immensely. My understanding is the pool is free although some seating is reserved for the bar & restaurant. With three ships in port it didn't feel that busy. Today I chose to walk to town. It's a cheap taxi ride but I needed the exercise and I had plenty of time. It wouldn't hurt to burn off some Windjammer anyways. At this point this is a nice concrete boardwalk along the ocean with amazing views at every turn. At Blue Kay beach I walked along the shore for a while. The Mahahual beach area is known for seaweed. I'm not sure what it is about this shore but they were raking it up and using a bobcat to remove. Much like the boardwalk in St. Maarten there are lots of bars and restaurants along this stretch. Ready for a beverage I stopped at the Krazy Lobster. I opted for the $3 per person taxi ride back to the ship. My driver was from Mahahual and he spoke very good english. He told me how he likes this area of Mexico so much better then "up North" (Cancun) and other areas where drug cartels operate. None of that here he told me, it's quite safe. I asked him if he likes or dislikes cruise ship visits and he told me he loves them. it means work and income which is hard to come by in Mexico. Back to the cruise port he dropped me off and I made my way back towards the ship. $10 between beer and a taxi including tip makes for a pretty cheap excursion day. Hot from my day in Costa Maya I opted for a slide on Liberty to cool me down. Lovetocruise2002, The Cruise Junkie, JLMoran and 6 others 6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Great photos! Interesting about the seaweed on the beach. Must have been a storm off shore and with the on shore winds that's where it ends up. We have the same thing occur here in NC on a lot of our beaches. But, for the most part, we don't have folks out there raking up nor bobcats to remove it. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Your pictures make me feel like I'm there. Thank you. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 1, 2018 Report Share Posted March 1, 2018 Wow, Costa Maya and Mahahual look great ! I guess it's been a couple of years since we've been there, too. I really enjoy this port. I hope that Royal will start sending more ships there - particularly the O class ships as this port can accommodate them. I really don't understand why they don't alternate this port with Coz more than they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 44 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Wow, Costa Maya and Mahahual look great ! I guess it's been a couple of years since we've been there, too. I really enjoy this port. I hope that Royal will start sending more ships there - particularly the O class ships as this port can accommodate them. I really don't understand why they don't alternate this port with Coz more than they do. That's how it looked in December when we were there. My daughter loved that dolphin swim area that @twangster captured in one of the photos. It was a pleasant surprise as we had zero expectations for CM. We ended up there due to an itinerary change due to the damage to the Eastern Caribbean ports. My sister and I just spent the afternoon wandering around that cruise port area. There was more than enough there for the day. Deedeelynn, RestingBird and accio7 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Last in, last out. We departed Costa Maya just before the sun went down. Winds have died down and it's a short distance up to Cozumel. Captain James announed we would be doing ~9 knots with smooth seas. With that Saturday Night Fever tonight in the theater. Photography ban continues, no pictures. ellcee, Sweety, accio7 and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestingBird Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Ok...I'm definitely going to consider an itinerary with Costa Maya now, looks amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 On 2/28/2018 at 9:00 AM, rjac said: 25 more days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Babe Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 @twangster you really should think about making travel brochures, incredible pictures. I was very hesitant about Costa Maya, I thought we would just stay on the ship in January, but WOW did you change my mind, now I'm looking forward to it so much! WAAAYTOOO and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 2 minutes ago, Boston Babe said: @twangster you really should think about making travel brochures, incredible pictures. I was very hesitant about Costa Maya, I thought we would just stay on the ship in January, but WOW did you change my mind, now I'm looking forward to it so much! Yeah, what she said! Boston Babe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 8 hours ago, RestingBirds said: Ok...I'm definitely going to consider an itinerary with Costa Maya now, looks amazing. Up until December, I thought Cozumel had the most brilliant blue water. The water in Costa Maya is even one up on that. I can't even describe it. ? accio7, Boston Babe and ellcee 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 15 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Wow, Costa Maya and Mahahual look great ! I guess it's been a couple of years since we've been there, too. I thought same thing. We're going back for the first time since 2010 and it's incredible to see how much as changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 On 3/1/2018 at 10:38 PM, RestingBirds said: Ok...I'm definitely going to consider an itinerary with Costa Maya now, looks amazing. On 3/2/2018 at 6:56 AM, Boston Babe said: @twangster you really should think about making travel brochures, incredible pictures. I was very hesitant about Costa Maya, I thought we would just stay on the ship in January, but WOW did you change my mind, now I'm looking forward to it so much! On 3/2/2018 at 6:58 AM, rjac said: Yeah, what she said! On 3/2/2018 at 7:41 AM, Matt said: I thought same thing. We're going back for the first time since 2010 and it's incredible to see how much as changed. Thanks folks. While I chose to walk to town I'd suggest people take the shuttle or taxi. I only walked to kill time. It's 2.5 miles or 4 km. On 3/2/2018 at 7:21 AM, Sabrinaklai said: Up until December, I thought Cozumel had the most brilliant blue water. The water in Costa Maya is even one up on that. I can't even describe it. I went back in my photo vault and found some photos from February 2015. Yesterday an NCL ship was in the way so I couldn't get a great shot of Costa Maya like I could back in 2015. The water color back then was amazing and I agree - Cozumel has always been beautiful but Costa Maya stands out from my 2015 trip as having the most beautiful water color. The zip line facility was just being built back then. February 2015: Huh. Looks like I went to Cozumel on that cruise as well, and ran into a familiar ship. Liberty back in 2015 sans slides: Here are some more photos of the Costa Maya waters from my current trip that didn't make the cut above. They do show how colorful the water in Costa Maya is. Oh, a friend reminded me technically that's sargassum, not simply 'seaweed'. accio7, RestingBird and JLMoran 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 57 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said: Up until December, I thought Cozumel had the most brilliant blue water. The water in Costa Maya is even one up on that. I can't even describe it. ? Believe it or not, the water in Bermuda is even more beautiful. It was the biggest surprise to me about Bermuda. I didn't expect that beautiful blue water. ellcee, Lovetocruise2002, accio7 and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 @twangster, I couldn't describe it in words, but yes, whatever your pics above just said. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 4 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Believe it or not, the water in Bermuda is even more beautiful. It was the biggest surprise to me about Bermuda. I didn't expect that beautiful blue water. That is one port that I have not been to yet. One day... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 16 hours ago, rjac said: Great photos! Interesting about the seaweed on the beach. Must have been a storm off shore and with the on shore winds that's where it ends up. We have the same thing occur here in NC on a lot of our beaches. But, for the most part, we don't have folks out there raking up nor bobcats to remove it. I stayed a week in 2015 up the coast at a place called Puerto Morelos, it's about midway between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, stayed in a little AirBNB about a half block off the beach, anyway, they fought the seaweed problem the whole week we were there, locals said it was do to the overly warm water in the gulf and that the seaweed was blooming and growing like crazy and yes @rjac because of the wind and the angle of the coast it's the last stop for the sea weed. You would think some really smart person would go down and figure out how to turn all of this excess seaweed in to a bio fuel or something, never ending renewable energy source. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 11 minutes ago, tiny260 said: I stayed a week in 2015 up the coast at a place called Puerto Morelos, it's about midway between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, stayed in a little AirBNB about a half block off the beach, anyway, they fought the seaweed problem the whole week we were there, locals said it was do to the overly warm water in the gulf and that the seaweed was blooming and growing like crazy and yes @rjac because of the wind and the angle of the coast it's the last stop for the sea weed. You would think some really smart person would go down and figure out how to turn all of this excess seaweed in to a bio fuel or something, never ending renewable energy source. Search for 'Sargossa Sea'. It's much bigger than the Gulf or Caribbean Sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea How about "Sargossa Beer"? Might be a little salty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Day 6 - Cozumel We've arrived in Cozumel and will share the pier with the Allure today. Captain James made an announcement that all excursions that use a ferry will be canceled. A note was placed outside each cabin overnight citing a U.S. State Department warning. Fortunately my plan for today is a short walk up to a favorite water hole along the shore on the way to town. Matt and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floski Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 1 hour ago, twangster said: Search for 'Sargossa Sea'. It's much bigger than the Gulf or Caribbean Sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sargasso_Sea How about "Sargossa Beer"? Might be a little salty. I got it! We'll call it: SarGose Sea! In case you didn't know, gose is a beer made with salt. An example: JLMoran and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Before I forget, Saturday Night Fever was the broadway show last night. Apparently it is normally on day 7 but according to the cast during the backstage tour the new CD is making some minor changes and he moved it to day 5. No photography during the show is allowed but I did take a quick pic while waiting for the show to begin. Pretty full house both showings. It was mostly good. I'm not a big broadway fan but having done some backstage tours and following Nick Weir the VP of Royal Caribbean Entertainment I felt compelled to attend. I'm glad I did. The new All-In-One dinner menus continue. Here was night 5 in the MDR: i actually ate in the Windjammer again. The timing of the sunset and Saturday Night Fever made that the best option for me last night. accio7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 Back To Day 6 - Cozumel I let the crowds disembark and then headed towards town on foot. Looks like its lifeboat exercise day. The last time I was here this sign almost complete. Now it is. The color of the water in Cozumel isn't too shabby. The walk towards 'downtown'. Sunset bar. Time for a Marg. On the way here I spotted a walkway down towards the water so I checked it out on the way back to the ship. The water is pretty mesmerizing here. cruiselife, JLMoran, ellcee and 3 others 4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 I ducked into the Diamond lounge after lunch to capture the night 6 dinner menu, still part of the new all-in-one menu. I haven't decided yet if I just do the Windjammer or MDR for this the second formal night. Top tier event at 7:15pm in Studio B. 1st time I've seen this on formal night and during prime time. Dress code is formal. I've got a jacket and tie just not sure I feel like wearing them tonight. Maybe I can get a seat in the Diamond lounge tonight. These seven day cruise are way too short. I should have done a B2B. accio7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, twangster said: These seven day cruise are way too short. I should have done a B2B. AMEN to that! twangster and accio7 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jce2 Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 I assume that beach area right by the ships is a private beach for the El Cid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 2 minutes ago, jce2 said: I assume that beach area right by the ships is a private beach for the El Cid? Based on the angle to the dock, it looks further north than El Cid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 12 minutes ago, jce2 said: I assume that beach area right by the ships is a private beach for the El Cid? El Cid or another. Based on Google search it appears to belong to the Grand Park Royal Resort. Makes for a great picture though (from the public sidewalk). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RestingBird Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 6 hours ago, twangster said: Day 6 - Cozumel We've arrived in Cozumel and will share the pier with the Allure today. Captain James made an announcement that all excursions that use a ferry will be canceled. A note was placed outside each cabin overnight citing a U.S. State Department warning. Fortunately my plan for today is a short walk up to a favorite water hole along the shore on the way to town. Thanks for sharing that, we'll be there next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayley_bopp Posted March 2, 2018 Report Share Posted March 2, 2018 2 hours ago, twangster said: night 6 dinner menu, still part of the new all-in-one menu. Is the all-in-one menu thing fleet-wide or is it just on Liberty? Also, do you HAVE to order dessert when ordering your appetiser and entree or can thou order it after eating your entree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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