Get Off The Ship - we are running out of towel animals! Update 10/25 Day 31

[RGirl]

Hi Karin! Got caught up on your other TR last night and trying to do the same on this one now!

We made use of the DCL room service for the first time on this cruise as well - it was so convenient and pleasant! I’m glad you enjoyed it too.

Well, at least there was a good reason that I didn’t see you two at the Enchanted Garden dinner, since I skipped it for Palo that night. I cannot believe how many times we were in the same place at the same time though and didn’t see each other! :scared1 I mean, we even chose the same breakfast place the next day!!!!

What a great idea to get the dessert to go! I bet Raj loved it!

Gorgeous sunrise photos!

 

[dizneeat]

Isn't room service so nice? Delicious, fast and convenient. I'd do more in the future as well.

Ever since we have used room service quite a bit. Nothing better than a Mickey bar or two for a snack.

Very nice of you to give your dessert to Raj. Not gonna lie...That would be difficult for me to do since I love my dessert so much

I don't blame you for holding on to your dessert. You know that you CAN have your dessert and get one to go, don't you?
We were just so full and I knew Raj would like it, so we took it for him.

Sounds like the girls really appreciated the treats that you gave them. So nice of you and Tom! I'm shocked you guys don't carry a fanny pack around filled with chocolates so you don't always have to go back up to the stateroom for some!

Well, I don't carry a fanny pack, but I usually DO carry a D&B wristlet full of treats when we go somewhere.
I just had forgotten to bring it to breakfast with me.

Great Updates , your meals at Enchanted Gardens looked great .How sweet t give your dessert to Raj!! That Swan animal was magnificent . I didn't realize Enchanted Garden had a breakfast buffet!!Can't wait to see how your port visit was !!!

Thank you, Rosie!
Raj outdid himself with the towel animals, so he "earned" the dessert.

Yes, Enchanted Garden has a breakfast buffet. They will assign you a table, bring out your drinks and get you "make to order" omelets. Everything else is at the buffet. No picking up items and then going to find a table and then heading to get a drink.

Hi Karin! Got caught up on your other TR last night and trying to do the same on this one now!

We made use of the DCL room service for the first time on this cruise as well - it was so convenient and pleasant! I’m glad you enjoyed it too.

It's really easy isn't it, and yummy too! I hope Willow got her fair share of Mickey Bars from room service.

Well, at least there was a good reason that I didn’t see you two at the Enchanted Garden dinner, since I skipped it for Palo that night. I cannot believe how many times we were in the same place at the same time though and didn’t see each other! :scared1 I mean, we even chose the same breakfast place the next day!!!!

Hard to believe that there were days we were NOT in the same room without bumping into each other.
But we seem to have chosen a lot of the same places to eat. And if you stayed on board at Costa Maya you did NOT miss out on anything. That one was not one of the ports we want to return to.

What a great idea to get the dessert to go! I bet Raj loved it!

Gorgeous sunrise photos!

Raj really was so happy with the desserts and the chocolates we left on the bed for him daily. He was such a sweetheart, so helpful and friendly.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 14, August 20

A once in a lifetime experience – Costa Maya - Part 2

We only had an afternoon at Costa Maya, so even before we had docked we decided to head for lunch at Royal Court before getting off the ship.
So we quickly walked down to the restaurant







and were soon on our way to a table.





A server was quick to return with our Diet Cokes while we were still looking through the menus.
Once we had made our mind up and ordered our food, we were served



some baguette, dinner rolls and butter to hold us over until our food arrived. We had only started to nibble on the bread when the appetizers were served. Tom had ordered the





jumbo shrimp, which came in a cocktail glass and had some cocktail sauce on the side. I had ordered the



herbed salmon, which came with honey mustard sauce and was delicious. For his main course Tom had ordered the



New York Strip Steak, served with French Fries, herbed butter and a grilled tomato. The steak was nicely cooked, a bit over, but still nice and juicy. My choice was the



Captain’s Cobb Salad, which had green leaves and all the trimmings that make a Cobb Salad, but a larger dice and you could mix yourself. There was some yummy dressing to go with it, but it was a huge serving and I didn’t make a huge dent in it. Then it was time for dessert. There was only one dessert we really wanted to try and that was another thing that Austria is really famous for,



Apple Strudel, served with Crème Anglaise and Vanilla Ice Cream. The Strudel was really nice and not too sweet, which was awesome and the perfect ending for our meal. Lunch done we headed back to our room, got our IDs and our bag and off we went to explore Costa Maya.
When we got off the ship we could feel that it was pretty hot out.



There was a shuttle running





between the ship and the “town”, but we decided to walk.



















It was nice to enjoy and take in the view of the sea and it did not take too long and we made it to the shopping area right at the port.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[jenseib]

Even though Costa Maya was not a favorite port..I would rather be there than here today.

 

[JKSWonder]

Even though Costa Maya was not a favorite port..I would rather be there than here today.

Same. We've got ice here. The poor hyacinths that just bloomed are toast.

 

[annmarieda]

I love the pictures of the ship at night! The little theater out near the pool looks like it would be fun.

As always... lots of great looking food! YUM!

You are so sweet to always be sharing some sweet treat with someone. You are so thoughtful!

The FE gifts you got are pretty cool. What is the mickey head?

 

[perfectmatch300]

I've been a bit of a slacker, but I'm finally caught up - at least with this TR! I have really been enjoying this one because it allows me to re-live our last cruise, 7 day Fantasy Western.

I had been very apprehensive about going to Costa Maya, but we very much enjoyed our time there. We did a catamaran sail and snorkel excursion that took up our entire time in port. The bus we took had AC that worked and a driver who navigated streets that were a bit narrow for a large bus very carefully. The catamaran was clean and well maintained, and the crew did an excellent job. All that said, I still wouldn't call Costa Maya one of my favorite ports though.

I have to go back and read about your B2B transition. I want to show it to DH so he understands the process. We are thinking of adding a second cruise either before or after the Dream cruise we have booked for Sept. That cruise was meant to be a dummy booking, but as of now we are planning to stick with it. Three days just doesn't seem like enough though, now that we have several 7 day cruises under our belts! B2B would solve that problem nicely.

Nancy

 

[franandaj]

I'm just loving your updates and it makes me want to book a trip on the Fantasy so much between yours and Ellen's reports. I just don't think I can convince Fran she wants to go on the Fantasy until we go on the Dream!

 

[scottny]

The steak sandwich looks so good.
The ship is so pretty lit up.
The trio dessert looks good.
Nice sunrise pics.
Nice gifts you got.
It looks so nice there in Costa Maya. Beautiful day.
I am caught up again.

 

[Linda67]

Love your sun rise photos Karin
Looks like you got some great FE gifts
Mmm, I wonder what you both get up to in Costa Maya?

 

[Teri1]

Love the pictures! Would like to go on the Western cruise some time.

 

[englishrose47]

Your lunch looked delish!!! More like supper though !!! Can't wait for the pix of Costa Mayo!!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Even though Costa Maya was not a favorite port..I would rather be there than here today.

Hope the weather clears up for you.
We were really disappointed with Costa Maya, even though I was "kind of" warned by reading a few trip reports beforehand.

Same. We've got ice here. The poor hyacinths that just bloomed are toast.

Ice? Jikes! While it is not really warm here, we are having nice weather, sunshine and a few clouds. No more snow and ice please, we have had more than enough for this year.

I love the pictures of the ship at night! The little theater out near the pool looks like it would be fun.

The ship is so peaceful at night. We love to walk around and enjoy it so empty and quiet.
And Funnelvision is a lot of fun!

As always... lots of great looking food! YUM!

Lots of really nice food around on a cruise ship - and I cannot wait to have some more - only 99 more days until our next cruise.

You are so sweet to always be sharing some sweet treat with someone. You are so thoughtful!

Raj was so nice - he deserved a little extra sweetie! And we were rewarded in awesome towel animals.

The FE gifts you got are pretty cool. What is the mickey head?

I had to look up which Mickey head you were asking about. It is a necklace. 3 metal rings being tied together. We got so much beautiful jewellery this trip, it was incredible.

I've been a bit of a slacker, but I'm finally caught up - at least with this TR! I have really been enjoying this one because it allows me to re-live our last cruise, 7 day Fantasy Western.

Perfect! Great that you get to relive your trip while I am reliving mine.

I had been very apprehensive about going to Costa Maya, but we very much enjoyed our time there. We did a catamaran sail and snorkel excursion that took up our entire time in port. The bus we took had AC that worked and a driver who navigated streets that were a bit narrow for a large bus very carefully. The catamaran was clean and well maintained, and the crew did an excellent job. All that said, I still wouldn't call Costa Maya one of my favorite ports though.

We had no excursion planned and just wanted to explore on our own and it was NOT what we had expected.
If Disney does not go back there I will not be crying any tears.

I have to go back and read about your B2B transition. I want to show it to DH so he understands the process. We are thinking of adding a second cruise either before or after the Dream cruise we have booked for Sept. That cruise was meant to be a dummy booking, but as of now we are planning to stick with it. Three days just doesn't seem like enough though, now that we have several 7 day cruises under our belts! B2B would solve that problem nicely.

Nancy

Back 2 backs are awesome!
But have you looked into the Fantasy Eastern, which leaves on Aug 29? I tell you it is a great cruise - and your friend Teresa is on board as well. (You did sail together didn't you?) Teresa and her husband are already sailing with us, so why not have a group that's just a tad larger?

 

[dizneeat]

I'm just loving your updates and it makes me want to book a trip on the Fantasy so much between yours and Ellen's reports. I just don't think I can convince Fran she wants to go on the Fantasy until we go on the Dream!

They are both beautiful ships! We just LOVE the longer cruises and the more sea days the better.
And I am very happy to hear that you enjoy the TR so far.

The steak sandwich looks so good.
The ship is so pretty lit up.
The trio dessert looks good.
Nice sunrise pics.
Nice gifts you got.
It looks so nice there in Costa Maya. Beautiful day.
I am caught up again.

The sandwich was really nice! Tom loved it.
We love the ship at night, especially at a time where everyone else is either in the MDR or watching a show. It feels like the whole ship is just yours.

The day was absolutely beautiful, blue skies and lovely and warm. Costa Maya was just not what I was expecting.

Love your sun rise photos Karin
Looks like you got some great FE gifts
Mmm, I wonder what you both get up to in Costa Maya?

I am glad you enjoy the photos, Linda. We had some really nice sunrises and sunsets on these two cruises. It was a great vacation.
And we got AWESOME FE gifts on that cruise. We both were in awe.
Stay tuned for Costa Maya, but don't hold your breath, it was not the most spectacular port we went to.

Love the pictures! Would like to go on the Western cruise some time.

It was a nice cruise and the other ports were really nice, we just did not like Costa Maya. But I have to admit that I would prefer an Eastern Itinerary over a Western one. (........ and we have two Western planned. )

Your lunch looked delish!!! More like supper though !!! Can't wait for the pix of Costa Mayo!!!!!

We loved our lunches at the Royal Court, Rosie! The food was awesome and it was quiet in there. Much more what I prefer than a noisy buffet.

Costa Maya coming right up.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 14, August 20

A once in a lifetime experience – Costa Maya - Part 3

It was nice to enjoy and take in the view of the sea and it did not take too long and we made it to the shopping area right at the port.
If there is something that really irks me about Mexico, it is that everyone wants to drag you into their shop and keeps asking to sell you something. Here it was no exception. There was kind of a Mall with several shops and big pool in the middle.



We strolled through the shops and picking up a souvenir here and there, but quickly putting them back on the shelf when we saw the price. I know that you are supposed to bargain but that is just not me, so I’d rather not buy than bargain with someone. It did not take us long to have visited all the shops and we left the area, as I had done some internet research and it had looked as if there was a town behind the mall, just up the road. There was also a pyramid, which we wanted to visit.





We left the mall area, showed our ID’s and walked up the street. From my research I knew there was a tequila factory on one side and a museum on the other. When we got up to the factory we saw that it was closed



and so were all the other shops and buildings on that side. We looked at the museum and it was closed as well.



There were a few other cruise passengers walking along as well, so we went up to the pyramid,



took a few pics and headed right back to the mall after seeing that the main street around the bend was as dead as the street leading up to it.
Right in front of the mall we had to show our ID’s again



and then we were back at the mall. We looked through the shops one more time,







before deciding that we wanted a drink. We looked around and went into Senor Frogs.



Well, it was a first and a last – NEVER again. When we got there, there were many empty tables and there was music playing, but nothing too loud, so we chose a table and sat down. Tom ordered an



XX Sol Lager, while I thought why not try a





Caribbean Lemonade, (Rocks) Vodka, peach liqueur, simple syrup, cranberry juice, lime juice and a touch of lime soda, served in a palm tree. It took a while for the drinks to come out, but while we waited they turned the music on full blast, so you could not understand the person sitting just two feet away and they were walking around forcing shots on people.
Now, if there is something I do NOT like than it is being forced to buy or drink something. So we let the girls know that we were not interested and waited for our drinks. A little later our drinks came out and we had a taste, Tom’s beer was nothing special, but quite nice, my drink was huge and SWEET. Far too sweet for my liking. So I kept taking little sips and while we sat there our server came again and again offering her shots. She only stopped when I let her know that there would not be a tip at all if she would not stop forcing her shots on us.
And as soon as Tom had finished his beer we paid and fled the scene.
It was an experience trying Senor Frogs once, but we will not return. We were set to head back to the ship













when we realized that there was kind of a watch tower to climb up. So we walked over that way, and went inside.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[jenseib]

You made it out of the gate plaza! I was too afraid to go outside. We just shopped and walked around and took pictures. It sure is not anything special and I had heard that Disney wanted to pull out of the port, but they are still going so maybe they are contracted for so long. I have been to a few Senior Frogs, but it really isn't my scene either. It's ok for a drink and then we flee!

 

[MEK]

Interesting port. It's kind of cool that there is a pool right in the middle of the mall. It really looks pretty relaxing.

I am not a good haggler either, but I know that's the way it rolls there. I remember being in high school and haggling for a bracelet in Acapulco. I think I was bolder back then.

That Palm tree drink looks fun. Sorry it was so wet and you couldn't even enjoy it without the panhandler waitress. How annoying!

Lunch looks super yummy! You made that CM's day!

Lovely pictures.

 

[annmarieda]

Seems like the pyramid viewing was kinda uneventful?

The forcing of shots sounds irritating! Glad you were able to convince her to stop by threatening her tip. That is a good strategy!

The pool in the center of the mall is interesting... so people shop and swim?

 

[dizneeat]

You made it out of the gate plaza! I was too afraid to go outside. We just shopped and walked around and took pictures. It sure is not anything special and I had heard that Disney wanted to pull out of the port, but they are still going so maybe they are contracted for so long. I have been to a few Senior Frogs, but it really isn't my scene either. It's ok for a drink and then we flee!

It was a nice walk down there to the pyramid, unfortunately the "town" there was dead. There was nothing that even looked like someone lived/had a shop there. VERY disappointing.
I really hope they find different ports, especially since we only had a 4 hour port time, but I really don't need to return. We are happy that on Tom's birthday cruise we are going to Key West , then Grand Cayman and Cozumel and next summer's Western goes to Falmouth instead of Costa Maya.
Senor Frogs - NEVER again.

Interesting port. It's kind of cool that there is a pool right in the middle of the mall. It really looks pretty relaxing.

That first area was pretty nice, clean and a lot of shops, but most of them were heavily overpriced, so I would pick something up, roll my eyes and put it back. Don't like bargaining.

I am not a good haggler either, but I know that's the way it rolls there. I remember being in high school and haggling for a bracelet in Acapulco. I think I was bolder back then.

That Palm tree drink looks fun. Sorry it was so wet and you couldn't even enjoy it without the panhandler waitress. How annoying!

I liked the glass (plastic container) it came in. Once I had tried a sip and it was soo sweet I didn't like it all that much - I think I left about half of it, when we left.

Lunch looks super yummy! You made that CM's day!

Lovely pictures.

You will enjoy the food on board - PLEASE try as many sit down meals as you can - so nice to be served!

Seems like the pyramid viewing was kinda uneventful?

Uneventful? - Well, the area was "dead" and the pyramid was fake. So, yes, uneventful and boring - would be it.

The forcing of shots sounds irritating! Glad you were able to convince her to stop by threatening her tip. That is a good strategy!

Ah, she was getting to me big time. There is one thing I really don't like and it is to tell the same person the same thing over and over again. She did understand when I let her know that she would not get ANY tip if she returned with her shots.

The pool in the center of the mall is interesting... so people shop and swim?

It was nice looking to have the pool and a part of the beach (if you paid for entrance) right there and people took advantage of it. The pool was clean and nice and since the pool on board is not really big, I guess it is a big draw to do a little shopping and a little swimming.

 

[franandaj]

Did Disney offer any excursions to anyplace more interesting? That seems like a rather dull port, but your morning was nice with some good meals and a beautiful sunrise.