mississaugamom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2003
- Messages
- 1,066
Familiar Cast: myself, DH (Martin), our 7 yr old DD (Lara), and DHs Aunt and Uncle (both 81)
Cozumel day was another early wake-up for me, and a chance to sleep in for my family. I went upstairs to Deck 9 alone to savour the peacefulness and to take some more pictures. After doing several laps of the deck (and stopping to chat with Plutospup again) I got some tea (and OJ for Martin) and returned to the cabin to get Lara. She was just waking up, but got dressed quickly. We called Auntie and Uncle and arranged to meet them upstairs for breakfast. After a good breakfast, we went back downstairs to wait for Martin. Then it was off to the meeting spot for our Snorkelling in Chankanaab excursion. We were there in plenty of time, but it seemed quite disorganized this morning. The general all ashore call was made before our excursion left Diversions. This made it a little tricky following paddle-man with everyone trying to disembark at the same time!
We made it off the ship and out to the street where we were put in cabs to Chankanaab National Park. When we got there, we were given wristbands and followed our guide to the snorkel rental and locker area. We got a locker and changed into our diveskins. When we came out, everyone was getting their gear. We only needed fins and dive vests. One of my fins had a split in the foot area but they didnt have any more in my size. I had to consciously keep my foot arched to keep my fin on for the entire snorkel. Literally, this was a pain! Next problem was with snorkel vests. They looked at Lara and said we dont have any to fit her. Initially we werent too concerned until he began explaining how this snorkelling would work. It was a one-hour GUIDED snorkel, taking place in 3 25 feet of water! Everyone MUST stay with the guide. Taxis would be returning to the ship at 1:00 or 3:30 pm. Onboard, we were told that taxis left every hour on the half hour! Several people argued with him, but he just shrugged everyone off.
At this point, we wanted a snorkel vest for Lara! The only thing they came up with was a ratty (ripped and tattered) personal floatation jacket that she had to wear. Since we didnt have any options, we had to settle for it. It was very frustrating for her because she couldnt dive under the water at all to look at anything. The snorkelling itself was so-so at best, but were spoiled since DH and I are both certified divers who have been to a lot of the Caribbean (including Cozumel).
One hour of steady snorkelling is too much swimming for a 7 year old. She was very diligent about keeping up with the guide, but after 45 minutes she was cold and exhausted. We were just outside the swimming area (which was roped off) and in sight of the snorkel rental area. Lara told the guide she and I were leaving and he told her NO! I should have just left anyways, but I was too stunned to think clearly. I now had a sobbing child in 20 feet of water! Finally, I let her piggy-back on me and swam us back to the entry point. This was a big difference from our experience snorkelling in Grand Cayman the day before!
I have a real concern with this excursion being labelled as "Ages 5 and up!" Unless your five-year old is Mark Spitz, this is very misleading when you don't have an option as to where or what depth you are snorkelling in. Lara is actually an excellent little swimmer and has passed her level 9 certification (300 meter endurance swims) and it was way too much for her. It very nearly spoiled the rest of our day and she quickly tells anyone who asks about the cruise how much she hated snorkelling in Cozumel! We wrote up a "Shore Excursion Report" and turned it into Guest Services, but we haven't heard anything.
The cab pickup to return to the ship was moved back to 1:30 to allow people time to change after snorkelling. We raced to change and rushed through the mayan ruin replica since we wanted Lara to see it. When we got back to the front, the guide had $5 and $10 bills prominently attached to his clipboard to solicit tips. Sure, like we were going to give him one NOT!
We made it back to the Magic just before 2:00 and caught the tail-end of the fajita bar in Topsiders, so we had a quick lunch of a fajita and salad. Then we headed off again to go shopping.
Cozumel has really changed since our last visit there (1990). We could barely recognize the old shopping district for all the new development! However, we walked from the ship down to the Del Sol store (Lara remembered more friends that she wanted gifts for) and then back through the old marketplace. Never try bargaining with a child present she gives away exactly what she wants and has no intention of leaving without it! One of the store people was really pushing Mexican Opal pendants, so of course Lara wanted one. Shes only 7, but she really loves her jewellery! The vendor started at $55.00 No Chance! He quickly dropped to $45, then $30. By now Laras insisting this is a good deal, but I still wasnt convinced. He finally came to $20 and Lara was still pleading, so I bought it. I dont know if it was actually a deal or not, but she got a nice souvenir from Cozumel. After the morning she had, she deserved a treat! After that though, I had no stomach to do any bargaining for jewellery for myself. Martin spent awhile haggling over the cost of a Cozumel bag and T-shirt, finally getting the price he wanted but with incredible grumbling from the salesman. Walking back, we saw exactly the same bag in another shop window with the price marked exactly what we paid!?! We picked up some T-shirts and 4 bottles of vanilla and headed back to the ship.
We checked in with Auntie and Uncle before dinner. They had a nice day, shopping at the Punta Lagosta Mall, returning to the ship for lunch and a rest, and then shopping some more!
Tonight was Mexicali night in the dining rooms. Lara had a peasant blouse and flowered hairband to wear, but Martin and I were dining at Palo that evening so we didnt bring any clothes for the occasion. However, our wait staff seemed crushed the day before when we told them we would miss dinner. We went to the dining room to just have a drink with everyone and watch the festivities. We enjoyed chatting about our day, and Lara got to limbo and dance around the dining room, which was a big hit with her.
After dinner, we dropped her off in the Club for Goofys Giggle Gala and changed for our dinner for two at Palo. It was a magical evening! Our server was Ellie from Sweden and she was just fabulous. We each had a glass of sparkling wine to start the evening, then shared the proscuitto pizza, calamari and shrimp appetizers. The calamari was melt-in-your-mouth tender! Next, we tried both soups (one minestrone, one seafood) and still had entrees coming! I could have quit without the entrée and gone straight to dessert, but I managed to enjoy at least part of my salmon and risotto, while Martin finished his grilled filet mignon. Dessert was, of course, the chocolate soufflé, along with the Panne Cotte which Ellie brought for us to share. A specialty coffee was the perfect end to our meal.
After a quick stop back in our cabin to change, we picked up Lara for the Mexicali deck party. As always, she managed to be right up front for the dancing, waving her arms in the air. (At least this time, they didnt tell kids to bring someone onstage. I forgot that part in the Key West trip report - doing the Macarena on stage! Martin loved it and had the video camera out very quickly!) Hmmmm how do I destroy selected footage from a digital tape??? (lol)
We were much too full from Palo to even look at the Mexicali buffet and Lara was tired, so we called it a night and went back to the cabin. There was another towel animal waiting, but darned if we could guess what it was!?! (Same problem with last nights animal.) We were a little embarrassed when Lara thanked Rosa at the end of the cruise for the towel animals - even the ones we couldnt recognize!
Cozumel day was another early wake-up for me, and a chance to sleep in for my family. I went upstairs to Deck 9 alone to savour the peacefulness and to take some more pictures. After doing several laps of the deck (and stopping to chat with Plutospup again) I got some tea (and OJ for Martin) and returned to the cabin to get Lara. She was just waking up, but got dressed quickly. We called Auntie and Uncle and arranged to meet them upstairs for breakfast. After a good breakfast, we went back downstairs to wait for Martin. Then it was off to the meeting spot for our Snorkelling in Chankanaab excursion. We were there in plenty of time, but it seemed quite disorganized this morning. The general all ashore call was made before our excursion left Diversions. This made it a little tricky following paddle-man with everyone trying to disembark at the same time!
We made it off the ship and out to the street where we were put in cabs to Chankanaab National Park. When we got there, we were given wristbands and followed our guide to the snorkel rental and locker area. We got a locker and changed into our diveskins. When we came out, everyone was getting their gear. We only needed fins and dive vests. One of my fins had a split in the foot area but they didnt have any more in my size. I had to consciously keep my foot arched to keep my fin on for the entire snorkel. Literally, this was a pain! Next problem was with snorkel vests. They looked at Lara and said we dont have any to fit her. Initially we werent too concerned until he began explaining how this snorkelling would work. It was a one-hour GUIDED snorkel, taking place in 3 25 feet of water! Everyone MUST stay with the guide. Taxis would be returning to the ship at 1:00 or 3:30 pm. Onboard, we were told that taxis left every hour on the half hour! Several people argued with him, but he just shrugged everyone off.
At this point, we wanted a snorkel vest for Lara! The only thing they came up with was a ratty (ripped and tattered) personal floatation jacket that she had to wear. Since we didnt have any options, we had to settle for it. It was very frustrating for her because she couldnt dive under the water at all to look at anything. The snorkelling itself was so-so at best, but were spoiled since DH and I are both certified divers who have been to a lot of the Caribbean (including Cozumel).
One hour of steady snorkelling is too much swimming for a 7 year old. She was very diligent about keeping up with the guide, but after 45 minutes she was cold and exhausted. We were just outside the swimming area (which was roped off) and in sight of the snorkel rental area. Lara told the guide she and I were leaving and he told her NO! I should have just left anyways, but I was too stunned to think clearly. I now had a sobbing child in 20 feet of water! Finally, I let her piggy-back on me and swam us back to the entry point. This was a big difference from our experience snorkelling in Grand Cayman the day before!
I have a real concern with this excursion being labelled as "Ages 5 and up!" Unless your five-year old is Mark Spitz, this is very misleading when you don't have an option as to where or what depth you are snorkelling in. Lara is actually an excellent little swimmer and has passed her level 9 certification (300 meter endurance swims) and it was way too much for her. It very nearly spoiled the rest of our day and she quickly tells anyone who asks about the cruise how much she hated snorkelling in Cozumel! We wrote up a "Shore Excursion Report" and turned it into Guest Services, but we haven't heard anything.
The cab pickup to return to the ship was moved back to 1:30 to allow people time to change after snorkelling. We raced to change and rushed through the mayan ruin replica since we wanted Lara to see it. When we got back to the front, the guide had $5 and $10 bills prominently attached to his clipboard to solicit tips. Sure, like we were going to give him one NOT!
We made it back to the Magic just before 2:00 and caught the tail-end of the fajita bar in Topsiders, so we had a quick lunch of a fajita and salad. Then we headed off again to go shopping.
Cozumel has really changed since our last visit there (1990). We could barely recognize the old shopping district for all the new development! However, we walked from the ship down to the Del Sol store (Lara remembered more friends that she wanted gifts for) and then back through the old marketplace. Never try bargaining with a child present she gives away exactly what she wants and has no intention of leaving without it! One of the store people was really pushing Mexican Opal pendants, so of course Lara wanted one. Shes only 7, but she really loves her jewellery! The vendor started at $55.00 No Chance! He quickly dropped to $45, then $30. By now Laras insisting this is a good deal, but I still wasnt convinced. He finally came to $20 and Lara was still pleading, so I bought it. I dont know if it was actually a deal or not, but she got a nice souvenir from Cozumel. After the morning she had, she deserved a treat! After that though, I had no stomach to do any bargaining for jewellery for myself. Martin spent awhile haggling over the cost of a Cozumel bag and T-shirt, finally getting the price he wanted but with incredible grumbling from the salesman. Walking back, we saw exactly the same bag in another shop window with the price marked exactly what we paid!?! We picked up some T-shirts and 4 bottles of vanilla and headed back to the ship.
We checked in with Auntie and Uncle before dinner. They had a nice day, shopping at the Punta Lagosta Mall, returning to the ship for lunch and a rest, and then shopping some more!
Tonight was Mexicali night in the dining rooms. Lara had a peasant blouse and flowered hairband to wear, but Martin and I were dining at Palo that evening so we didnt bring any clothes for the occasion. However, our wait staff seemed crushed the day before when we told them we would miss dinner. We went to the dining room to just have a drink with everyone and watch the festivities. We enjoyed chatting about our day, and Lara got to limbo and dance around the dining room, which was a big hit with her.
After dinner, we dropped her off in the Club for Goofys Giggle Gala and changed for our dinner for two at Palo. It was a magical evening! Our server was Ellie from Sweden and she was just fabulous. We each had a glass of sparkling wine to start the evening, then shared the proscuitto pizza, calamari and shrimp appetizers. The calamari was melt-in-your-mouth tender! Next, we tried both soups (one minestrone, one seafood) and still had entrees coming! I could have quit without the entrée and gone straight to dessert, but I managed to enjoy at least part of my salmon and risotto, while Martin finished his grilled filet mignon. Dessert was, of course, the chocolate soufflé, along with the Panne Cotte which Ellie brought for us to share. A specialty coffee was the perfect end to our meal.
After a quick stop back in our cabin to change, we picked up Lara for the Mexicali deck party. As always, she managed to be right up front for the dancing, waving her arms in the air. (At least this time, they didnt tell kids to bring someone onstage. I forgot that part in the Key West trip report - doing the Macarena on stage! Martin loved it and had the video camera out very quickly!) Hmmmm how do I destroy selected footage from a digital tape??? (lol)
We were much too full from Palo to even look at the Mexicali buffet and Lara was tired, so we called it a night and went back to the cabin. There was another towel animal waiting, but darned if we could guess what it was!?! (Same problem with last nights animal.) We were a little embarrassed when Lara thanked Rosa at the end of the cruise for the towel animals - even the ones we couldnt recognize!
