A few comments. I had a really great time. My wife is already looking to plan another. Being my first cruise, I wasn't really prepared to grasp the size of these boats. Much bigger than I had in my head before I left. A few comments to follow up on the advice I got from many of you who have advised me on a thread earlier...
* Definitely pay the extra money to get the upgraded food package. By doing this we were able to eat in six different specialty restaurants without the $25 to $50 surcharge and avoid the madness at the buffet. Not that the buffet was bad, but it was nice to schedule a set time and be seated immediately and to be waited on at our table. It beat fighting the horde at the buffet and the quality of food was much better.
*The drink package wouldn't have been worth it for me. Everyone in your stateroom is required to purchase it, for obvious reasons, and with my wife not being a drinker paying $52 per day per person for a seven day cruise just didn't add up. My drink bill was a little over $200 for the week and I would have had to pay over $700 with the package. Not worth it for me personally.
* I went to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Roatan Bay, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Mexico. Cozumel was probably my least favorite. Costa Maya surprised me a little. It was nicer than I expected.
*I took in two Mayan sites. The first one was in Belize at a site called Lamini. It was an hour bus ride as well as an hour boat ride through the jungle and rain forest to get there. It was a hard day but worth it in every sense. This site was pre classic period and was actually started in about 100 BC. Its pretty strange to imagine the advanced nature of these civilizations prior to the birth of Christ. We're so conditioned to think about Sumer and the Fertile Crescent with early civilizations that we don't give enough credit to Pre-Columbian America.
*Tabyana Beach in Roatan Honduras was the most beautiful. The water and beach area was stunning.
*Central America and Mexico are basically amazing historical sites and beatiful tourist areas that wrap around poverty and rubble. I tried to take excursions that took me away from the ports so I could truly experience the country. Once you leave the security of the port area you are immediately thrust into a third world setting. I heard some people complaining about it and my instinct was to tell them they shouldn't go to Central America thinking Disney World. The ports and resorts aren't the country. No need to think that a facade should be built to hide the landscape and provide a false sense of reality. Appreciate seeing what the world really is. And also appreciate how fortunate we are to live in our own country.
I'll post some pictures later.
* Definitely pay the extra money to get the upgraded food package. By doing this we were able to eat in six different specialty restaurants without the $25 to $50 surcharge and avoid the madness at the buffet. Not that the buffet was bad, but it was nice to schedule a set time and be seated immediately and to be waited on at our table. It beat fighting the horde at the buffet and the quality of food was much better.
*The drink package wouldn't have been worth it for me. Everyone in your stateroom is required to purchase it, for obvious reasons, and with my wife not being a drinker paying $52 per day per person for a seven day cruise just didn't add up. My drink bill was a little over $200 for the week and I would have had to pay over $700 with the package. Not worth it for me personally.
* I went to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Roatan Bay, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Mexico. Cozumel was probably my least favorite. Costa Maya surprised me a little. It was nicer than I expected.
*I took in two Mayan sites. The first one was in Belize at a site called Lamini. It was an hour bus ride as well as an hour boat ride through the jungle and rain forest to get there. It was a hard day but worth it in every sense. This site was pre classic period and was actually started in about 100 BC. Its pretty strange to imagine the advanced nature of these civilizations prior to the birth of Christ. We're so conditioned to think about Sumer and the Fertile Crescent with early civilizations that we don't give enough credit to Pre-Columbian America.
*Tabyana Beach in Roatan Honduras was the most beautiful. The water and beach area was stunning.
*Central America and Mexico are basically amazing historical sites and beatiful tourist areas that wrap around poverty and rubble. I tried to take excursions that took me away from the ports so I could truly experience the country. Once you leave the security of the port area you are immediately thrust into a third world setting. I heard some people complaining about it and my instinct was to tell them they shouldn't go to Central America thinking Disney World. The ports and resorts aren't the country. No need to think that a facade should be built to hide the landscape and provide a false sense of reality. Appreciate seeing what the world really is. And also appreciate how fortunate we are to live in our own country.
I'll post some pictures later.
