Thursday, March 23, 2023

Our Royal Adventure- Cozumel

Adventures in the Sun
February 23, 2023
Cozumel, Mexico


Our most visited cruise port and even after 16 visits, it is still a favorite! 

Morning
For the first time of the cruise, we woke up to an alarm going off at 7AM. Unfortunately, I did not sleep well due to a UIL nightmare so it was a rough night. We all got up and got ready and then made our way to the Windjammer for our breakfast. It was not at all crowded at 7:30AM ship time and we were done and back in the room getting ready to get off the ship shortly after 8AM. (Keep in mind that passengers were allowed to get off all night so this was probably a factor in it being less crowded. A typical Cozumel arrival is 8AM so plan for it to be MUCH busier).  


Hello Carnival Dream... Nice of you to join us! 


Hello Thursday! 

We got all of our stuff ready for a beach day and then made our way to Deck 1 to get off the ship. It didn't take much time to make our way to the back of the International Cruise Terminal to the taxi stand. We were at Playa Mia Beach and checking into our day reservation within 20 minutes. TIP- Cozumel offers FLAT RATE taxi fees from the International, Puerta Maya and Downtown cruise terminals. Be sure to tell your taxi driver where you are headed and ask for the quote before you get in the taxi. We have NEVER had an issue and it has always been very easy and cheap. Our taxi to Playa Mia was $17 each way... Don't forget to tip your driver. 


We love walking the pier at Cozumel! 


We are ready for a GREAT day in Cozumel! 


Hello from our "tiny taxi". There's never a dull moment in a Cozumel taxi! 

Once we arrived at Playa Mia, we signed into our beach reservation and then made our way to lounge chairs for the day. Unfortunately, due to the high winds, the resort was not allowing beach umbrellas so we opted to sit towards the back of the beachy sand area near an awning in hopes of the shade covering. 


It's Finally BEACH day! 


We were all so excited to get here! 


I am in my HAPPY PLACE! 

Playa Mia is an all inclusive resort on the southeast side of Cozumel island and offers lounge chairs, a very large and somewhat smooth beach access as well as numerous other amenities such as ocean inflatables, a large pool and a massive waterpark with 2 waterslides and a kiddie area. This is probably the most "Family Friendly" resort we have been to in Cozumel. However, I would not say it was my favorite as it was very "family and kid" populated. As per the usual with these "all inclusive" resorts, the cocktails were watered down and not that good. 


The Pool area of Playa Mia. 

We loaded the kids up with sunscreen and they were on their way. They tried out the ocean bicycles and then spent over an hour on the inflatables. Chris and I enjoyed watching them in the shade with a cocktail in hand. 


They are ready for the Ocean Bicycle. 


Chris is reading and enjoying the shade! 


The LOVED the inflatables! 


More inflatable fun! 

Afternoon
We spent the morning in the ocean and then decided to get in the pool while we waited for our lunch. TIP- Order your lunch early at any of these resorts as there are many passengers from all cruise lines. We have found ordering around 11AM helps ensure good delivery timing and allows you a more relaxed afternoon instead of feeling rushed due to late arriving food. We ordered a wide variety of food and all enjoyed the quesadilla the most. But like I mentioned above, the food left much to be desired. 


POOL TIME! 


The kids liked the pool area a lot! 


Sibling fun! 


My not-so-little mini- me and I at Playa Mia! 

We enjoyed our lunch and then Luke and Chris did the water bicycle while Natalie and I enjoyed the serenity of the shaded lounge chairs. Shortly after that the kids spent the rest of their time on the ocean inflatables. Playa Mia made an announcement at 2PM local time (1PM ship time) for all Adventure of the Seas passengers to start closing out their tabs. This was the first we have experienced this type of reminder and I think it is very helpful.  


Chris's face when Luke asks him to do the Ocean Bike! 
Chris- That means I will have to do the bulk of the pedaling! 


The boys lasted about 20 minutes on the Ocean Bike! 


But they had a LOT of fun!

Chris sure did a LOT of the pedaling but it was FUN! 


WE LOVE BEACH DAYS! 


Goodbye Cozumel, you have been good to us! 

We were in the taxi and back at the International Terminal by 2:30PM local time. Since we had gotten off the night before, we did not do a lot of souvenir shopping so we were back on Adventure of the Seas shortly before 3PM local time (2PM ship time). 


A picture perfect view of your ship from the International Cruise Terminal. 
TIP- This is right behind the COZUMEL sign on the north side of the terminal near Senor Frogs. 


We tried to have the kids do some swimming in this area but it was a little too rocky for their liking. They were also really tired from a day of playing at Playa Mia and some minor sunburns! 


Hello Adventure... We're BACK! 

Once back on board, Chris and the kids went to take showers and naps while I went to enjoy the Solarium before the majority of the passengers got back on board. The Solarium was not crowded at all and in fact, I was in the hot tub all by myself for almost 30 minutes. TIP- We have also notice the hot tubs and whirlpools are MUCH hotter and overall better maintained on port days as well. We highly recommend enjoying these type of ship facilities on a port day, especially if you have been to said port before.  

Shortly before sail-away time at 5PM, I went back to the room and showered and got ready for the evening. We went back to Deck 4 outside promenade to try and spot pier runners but it seemed as if all of the Adventure of the Seas passengers were already back on board. (This was completely different from our Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze experiences just a few months prior. Royal Caribbean truly is a different clientele). The Adventure of the Seas set sail for Galveston, TX at 4:58PM. 

Evening
After waiting to watch pier runners without any luck, we went down to Schooner Bar for Pre-Dinner Trivia. I didn't expect to do well but Chris knew many of the answers and ended up winning in a Tie-Breaker at the end. We all got a medal keychain. (Overall, I was a little disappointed in the SWAG offered by Royal Caribbean for trivia games). Then we went to catch another EPIC sunset on Deck 4. 


Another GORGEOUS sunset aboard the Adventure of the Seas! 


God sure does paint a pretty picture! 


This was such a PERFECT sunset! 


Silly times on board!


The Norwegian Bliss sailing back to Miami! 
Will this be our next ship??? Alaska 2024, maybe! 


Absolutely no filter needed! 

We tried to go to the Family Gameshow "60 seconds or less" in the Imperial Lounge before dinner. This was a great option for kids of all ages but it was TERRIBLY managed and ran by the cruise director's staff. There was a challenge to do in 60 seconds and kids could come up and try to get selected to play. The crew wasn't really choosing who would play but rather allowing kids to run and cut in front of others just to get to play. Within 4-5 rounds of Luke waiting and raising his hand to play and not being chosen, he was completely done and wanted no part of it. Sadly we heard parents telling kids "Just run them over and get up there so you can play". I could get on a whole separate soapbox about how kids these days behave and how we, as a society, are raising the future leaders of our country. It is actually appalling. 

We then went to Mexican Night in the Sapphire Dining Room. We arrived early and were seated early but the service was still SUPER slow. I had told Royal Caribbean we were celebrating the kids birthdays upon booking and it seemed this was the night they would recognize their birthdays. TIP- You can specify just about any celebration and Royal Caribbean (and most cruise lines) will recognize the birthday or other celebration with a cake or dessert of some kind in the main dining room completely free of charge. Little did I know that the kids did not want to be sang to and get a dessert. I had mentioned it to Luke when the waiter reminded me at the entrance and Luke wanted no part of it. So much so that when the waiter asked who had a birthday, I randomly said "Me". So the wait staff brought me a cake and sang to me at the conclusion of our dinner. The coconut cake they brought was SUPERB and I enjoyed it a lot. 

After dinner we went to the "Can't Stop the Rock" show in the Main Theater. This was a pretty good cruise ship show and Natalie especially enjoyed it. Luke, on the other hand, took a nap. He was wiped out from a day in the sun. After the show, we went back to the cabin as Luke was just so tired. Chris and I LOVE the 70s Inferno that Royal Caribbean offers so we put the kids to bed and then went back out to the dance party in the Royal Promenade. TIP- Bring a wig and 70s clothes. This event is NOT to be missed and is SO MUCH FUN!  Chris and I danced the night away and then got a few cocktails before heading back to the room for the night shortly after midnight. 


This boy was tired... A sunburnt! 


Just a small taste of the Disco Inferno! It is SO MUCH FUN! 

It was a great day in our "home away from home" Caribbean port! We LOVED the crystal clear blue waters and a gorgeous day at the beach! 

Up next... Our final day aboard the
Adventure of the Seas! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!  

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Breeze- September 2022




 


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Sunday, March 12, 2023

Our Royal Adventure- Cozumel at Night

  Adventures in the Dark
February 22, 2023
Costa Maya- Cozumel at Night


Even after 21 cruises, this was a FIRST! 

Morning
This turned out to be a very rough night at sea and we were "rocking and rolling" all night. I was so very grateful we had an Oceanview cabin and the beds were set up to be perpendicular to the ship; meaning our beds were rolling front to back and not side to side. TIP- If you are prone to seasickness, be sure to look for inside or Oceanview cabins that have beds perpendicular to the ship. We woke up around 7:30AM and one look out our window proved the seas were not so calm anymore. 


It was a pretty rocky night's sleep! 

This gives you an idea of how bad the seas were. 


OH NO... This means the cruise is about halfway over! NOOOOO! 

On this day we were not supposed to get to Costa Maya until 12PM so the morning was similar to a sea day on board. We met the boys for breakfast around 8:30AM and decided to try the Brunch in the Sapphire Dining Room. TIP- This brunch menu was different than both the breakfast and lunch MDR menus and featured great options for both breakfast and lunch. It is only offered on "late arrival" port days. The service in the Main Dining Room was fantastic... At first. And then suffered a HUGE slow down towards the end of our experience. (I was a little disappointed in the turn around time).


The "Brunch" menu. 


I seriously LOVED the meals in the MDR. 
Even with slower service, I still prefer this over the crowded Windjammer. 

After breakfast, Chris was feeling a bit jittery and took some more medication and decided to lay down for a bit while the kids and I went back down to Deck 4 to walk around outside. However, when we got to Deck 4, it was so windy outside that the port side of the ship was completely blocked off and crew members were outside tying up the lounge and deck chairs. 


The seas were CHOPPY! 


It is hard to tell with this gorgeous picture but the winds and seas were CRASHING hard against the side of the ship.

Even with the winds and choppy seas, this morning was PERFECT! 

We went to Boleros for another round of Morning Trivia and this time we got 14/20, but once again, did not win. We made our way to Café Promenade to get our daily Starbucks and had a few more drinks before going back up to Deck 12. 


She definitely got her money's worth with the FREE Starbucks on the Bubble Drink Package. 

Morning Trivia time in Boleros!

We knew the waterslides would be open from 9 to 12PM so we wanted to see if the kids could ride them as we knew most people would be getting off the ship in Costa Maya. TIP- Typically, over 80-85% of the passengers will get off the ship on port days. Especially the first port of a cruise. We try to plan the BEST things on the ship for the 1-2 hours prior to a "late arrival" port (such as Costa Maya) knowing many people will be making last minute preparations for getting off the ship. 

Due to the CRAZY high winds, many of the attractions on the open decks were closed. This included the basketball/ sports court and the mini-golf but the waterslides remained open. The kids went to the waterslides around 11AM and there were not many people in line. I think they rode each of the two slides about 20-30 times during this time block! 


Waterslide time for the kids! 

THEY LOVED THESE SLIDES!  

We were making our way to Costa Maya and the seas were VERY CHOPPY. Another cruise ship, the Carnival Celebration, was already docked at Costa Maya as we were making our final approach. But around 11:30AM, the ship started to make a complete 180* in the ocean and I knew something was going on. Shortly after that, the captain made the announcement that the winds were too strong to be able to dock at Costa Maya safely and we would have to miss this port. We were going to be able to get to Cozumel by 5PM but would miss Costa Maya. This was the 1st time we have had ANY trouble with Costa Maya. But this would also be the first time we were able to be in Cozumel at night. 

We were SO close... We could see the land and this MASSIVE Carnival ship! 

Then all of the sudden we did a complete 180* in the ocean... Yep, something weird is happening! 


A view from the Flowrider area of the Adventure of the Seas as we exit Costa Maya due to high winds. 

The Cruise Director, "tornado Tanya" followed with announcements about lots of activities being updated for entertainment purposes and within 30 minutes, the Royal Caribbean app was updated. Royal Caribbean did extremely well with this set back and for the most part, it did not affect us at all as we did not have a traditional or formal shore excursion planned in Costa Maya but rather our usual Mayan Ritual Massage and Spa Day. I was so sad to miss this! 

Afternoon
Once this turned into a sea day, we were back at the Solarium and the Main Pool. The kids joined in the fun as the Main Pool area turned into a GIANT wave pool as the ship was just rocking back and fourth. Chris and I enjoyed the peace that only the Solarium can give with cocktails in hand. We all enjoyed the "free sea day" in the Main Pool and Solarium areas for about 3 hours before getting a random lunch from the Windjammer. TIP- Royal Caribbean adjusted the opening and closing times of all restaurants and foods to accommodate for the change in schedule. 


This was SO COOL for the kids! 

The kids then decided they were done with the pool and we all went and changed to get ready for my favorite event of any cruise... FRIENDS TRIVIA! Once again, the Schooner Bar is way too small for a trivia such as this! Due to the time change in Mexico and "ship Time" the Cruise Director's staff was not at the Friends Trivia and we had to wait for them to arrive. I had full intentions of winning this trivia but 1 wrong answer costs me the trophy keychain. 


This girl wanted to try the Friends Trivia by herself. She scored 17/20... The winner got 20/20 and I scored 19/20. 

At the conclusion of the delayed Friends Trivia we got another coffee and cocktail and went to the outside Promenade on Deck 4 for the kids to play shuffleboard. TIP- As mentioned before, this is such a great area and truly a hidden gem on Deck 4. As we got closer to Cozumel, we watched the approach from the helicopter pad on Deck 5. It was so fascinating to watch us pull in back in to Cozumel as the sun was beginning to set. 

Evening 
As we got parked and the majority of passengers began to try and get off the ship, we stayed on Deck 4 to watch another sunset. Like the previous days, God sure does paint a GORGEOUS picture! As the sun went down and the ship began to clear of passengers, we meandered around the ship and made a pitstop at Café Promenade for some pizza. 


Picture perfect evening... There is NOWHERE I would rather be! 


But time needs to stop... My baby is growing up TOO FAST! 


Hello Cozumel! 


We all loved watching the approach into Cozumel and having a great time on deck! 


BE STILL MY HEART! 

Then we went back to our room to get ready for our specialty dinner at Izumi. TIP-The more I cruise, the more I LOVE the specialty restaurants. We originally thought we would take the kids to CHOPS (Arguably the BEST steak at sea) but we decided to try Izumi since we all LOVE sushi. 

Specialty Dinner Night! 


This was at 7PM on the Royal Promenade! 
The ship was practically EMPTY!

Our dinner at Izumi was VERY good. We opted to all get the "pre-fixe" menu for $34.99/ person. This included an appetizer, 2 small portions sushi rolls and 1 dessert. The service was good but honestly no better than the main dining room, which is unusual as our experience had proven to be exceptionally better in the specialty restaurants. This meal experience took about 110 minutes and there were only 4 other tables being served at the time. The food was really good but for a final cost of $165 (with tip), we were all left wanting a little bit more. I think if we did Izumi again, we would just several LARGE specialty rolls. TIP- If I had to compare Carnival and Royal Caribbean Sushi restaurants, I would have to give the edge to Carnival's Bonsai Sushi. The overall value for your money is much better. We will try Izumi again on the Allure of the Seas in July since we have the "Ultimate Dining Package". 


It's dinner time! 


This little guy was in HEAVEN! He is such a sushi fan and probably enjoyed this just as much as Chris and I! 


The Champagne Lobster Roll and the President's Royal Sushi. 
These were superb and so delicate! 

After dinner we went back to the room to get our personal items to get off the ship and allow Chris to take his medications. Then we walked down to Deck 1 and got off the ship in a dark but very lively Cozumel. Chris and I had been to Cozumel 16 other times but NEVER at night. This was a first for all of us and were excited just to see what was open. 


We are ready to check out Cozumel at NIGHT! 

Once off the ship, we got an exceptional view and picture of the ship at night and got to wander around the port shopping area of the International Cruise Terminal. The regular bars and restaurants were open like, Senor Frogs, Margaritaville, Fat Tuesdays and many small shops stayed open. We had NEVER seen the port area this vacant. We made a few stops for souvenirs and took a few pictures but we were back on the ship within an hour or so. 


This was SUCH a cool experience and another FIRST for us! 


She truly is a BEAUTY! 


I. LOVE. CRUISING! That's all... I love it! 


I am so glad we got to have this experience with the kids! 


I love this photo op near the International Cruise Terminal. 


In 16+ trips to Cozumel, we have never been to this photo op! 


This was such a cool experience! 
CHECK IT OUT! 

Once back on board, we made to play our traditional friendly golf competition at the mini-golf. Chris has won the last 5 out of 6 matches and I was determined to win. Well, I guess not determined enough because despite having a HOLE IN ONE... I still lost by 2 strokes. REMATCH TIME on the ALLURE! 


Luke was a little competitive and tried to win the match as well. But nonetheless, Chris was the winner once again!

We went back to the room to get ready for bed as it was already about 11pm. It was then I realized that I had in fact printed off our "resort for a day" passes for Cozumel the next day. I know I printed them off... But they were no where to be found. I called the Guest Services about printing them off and they assured me they could. 

Once I got to Guest Services, they explained they could print off our passes but in order to access them (on my email) I would have to pay for the 24 hour internet. This seemed insane to me as all I needed to do was email them to the Guest Service manager. The crew member then told me "just get off the ship and walk 4 blocks to XXX and they have free Wi-Fi". I gave him a crazy look I am sure! But it is after midnight (Cozumel time) now and I am a single woman. I asked to allow me 5 minutes of internet to email them the passes and they said no. I had hoped to be able to get access and then they could "reverse" the Wi-Fi and payment but that was not an option.  So I opted to pay $34.99 for 24 hours of internet service. I paid for it at 11:33 and by 11;38, I was completely done with the internet. Serge did in fact print off my passes but I was not happy. I spoke with the guest services manager and he would not back down saying "even if you only use for 5 minutes, we charge you". In true Royal Caribbean fashion, they Nickle and dime (and $34.99) you! I am LOYAL TO ROYAL but this was not good customer relations. However, I would not let this minor issue and $35 ruin my vacation or even my night. We grabbed a cocktail and listened to some live music in the Royal Promenade before calling it a night around midnight (ship time). 

This was an unexpected day but we did get another first... COZUMEL at NIGHT! 

Up next... Our first experience at Playa Mia in Cozumel. 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!  

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Breeze- KELLIE's 40th September 2022




 


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