bskramer48

Cozumel, Mexico

Only I got off the ship to explore the tourist village and beyond. Unfortunately, I was stung by a bee on my calf muscle. It started to hurt so I headed back to the ship in case it became worse. I had an itchy, swollen bump the next day, but gradually improved after I took some Benadryl.

Harmony of the Seas

Remember to fill out your cruise docs ahead of time.  This will speed you through check-in.  You will need your See Pass (don’t put it away after you check in) until you get your card on the ship. Also, book your island excursions online well ahead of time. You will have a much better experience on the ship if you plan and prebook. 

Castries, St. Lucia

We booked the Small Group: St. Lucia Scenic Drive and Batik Creations which departed at 9:30 am.  It was scheduled to last for 2 hours, and 30 minutes, but in actuality, it lasted about 3 hours, and 15 minutes (we left about 15 minutes late, so it was actually about 3 hours).  The tour consisted of a narrated drive through Castries and up some narrow, windy rides to the hills overlooking Castries.  Near the top of one of those hills, we stopped at a historic home for the Batik studio.  We were given a tour that described the process of Batik and were shown some of the other crafts that were featured at the home.  The best parts were the scenic views of Castries and the harbor from the back porch of the house along with the gift shop that featured the work of some of the artists.  We expected we would see more, but it was an okay stop that was greatly enhanced by the scenic views.  After that, we drove through many winding hills and narrow roads to the area of Today Bay Village.  We learned about agriculture and life in St. Lucia.  Our last stop was the beach at Pigeon Island, where we stopped for about 15 minutes to take photographs.  It was very scenic and enjoyable.  Overall, we didn’t do much, but we enjoyed getting off the ship and seeing a little of the island.  We weren’t disappointed since our tour wasn’t expensive, but I would suggest looking for other tours that saw more of the island.  We were glad that we did it since it was Boxing Day and many stores in Castries were closed.

Bridgetown, Barbados

We booked the Coast to Coast Scenic Drive which departed at 10:30 am.  The tour was scheduled to last for 3 hours, and 30 minutes.  It actually lasted closer to 4 hours.  If you take this tour, it is likely that you will return just as lunch is ending in the Oceanview Cafe.  Even though they posted a closing time of 2:30, we found that they actually kept serving until 3 pm.  I have very mixed feelings about this tour, and I would not recommend it.  We really did not see very much even though we were gone for 4 hours.  We had an entertaining tour guide, Ed, but the itinerary was lacking.  This was supposed to be a scenic drive, but there was not much to see.  Also, our driver was also our tour guide, so it was difficult to ask questions.  Some of our fellow tour participants continually talked through the presentations and the Yutong tour bus was cramped for people with longer legs.  Most of the tour consisted of driving through back roads in Barbados.  We saw sugar cane on one side and older homes on the other side.  The roads were narrow, windy, and steep up and down.  The one highlight was our first stop at Bathsheba Park Beach.  This location on the Ocean was scenic and featured eroded rock formations just offshore.  Unfortunately, this was the best park.  Our next stop was St. John’s Anglican Church which was set on a hill but had only limited scenic views.  Our last stop was at a flower garden, but all we did was taste rum or fruit punch and sit on the porch.  There was very little to see that was scenic.  The shops on the pier did have some good souvenir choices, but the tour was too long and not very scenic.  I would suggest you invest your money in another choice.

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

We did not take a tour here. This was our embarkation and disembarkation point. We found Port Everglades to be a great location for starting and ending a cruise. It was much easier to navigate than Miami.

Fort-De-France, Martinique

We booked the Panoramic Tour of Martinique which departed at 8:15 am.  The tour was scheduled to last for 3 hours, and 45 minutes.  In actuality, even though the boat docked on time, we did not receive clearance to go ashore until around 8:25 am.  By the time the bus left the parking lot, it was a little after 9 pm.  We did return around 12:35 pm, so even though we had a late start, we were only about 20 minutes late.  Both my wife and I enjoyed this tour.  There were three stops: the church of Balata on a hill overlooking Fort De France, the town of St. Pierre, and a scenic overlook of the bay and Mt. Pelée as we left St. Pierre.  All three were good scenic stops.  We enjoyed seeing some of the havoc that the 1902 eruption of Mt. Pelée caused to St. Pierre.  The drives in between were also scenic and enjoyable.  We felt that we had seen a unique part of Martinique’s history and we enjoyed the views of the coast.

St. George's, Grenada

We decided not to book a tour in Grenada.  The offerings on the cruise Web site looked a little thin and nothing really caught our attention.  Instead, we decided to take a walk into St. George’s.  In theory, this sounded good, but in practice, we found there was not much to do.  Apparently, since Christmas was on Sunday, most people had Monday off.  In addition, since Boxing Day was on Monday and most people had it off for Christmas, they also were off on Tuesday.  We found that many of the stores and businesses were closed.  In the Esplanade Mall at the end of the pier, about one-third of the businesses were open.  When we attempted to walk into the city, not only did we experience rain showers, but we saw no businesses that were open.  After about 45 minutes, we headed back to the ship.  It seemed to us, that if we wanted to see some of Grenada, it would have been best to book a tour that visited some locations outside of St. George’s.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

We booked the Caribbean Scenic Railway Tour that departed at 8:30 am. It was scheduled to last 3 hours.  We left on time and due to a little delay at the end, we ended back around 11:30 am.  The St. Kitts Railway follows a circular 18-mile route around the island of St. Kitts.  We started in Basseterre and ended about 25 minutes north of Basseterre.  This was my favorite activity on our cruise.  I love riding scenic heritage trains and this one was a highlight.  The train followed a route that was used to transport sugar cane.  The tour traveled along the coast with views of the shoreline to the right and farm fields and mountains to the left.  The narrow gauge train was slow, creaked, and rocked from side to side.  Sometimes the experience felt like an amusement park ride.  A guide gave a terrific narration and there were even performances of island Music Festival dances.  We were provided with drinks and samples of sugar cane candy.  Every mile of the trip was scenic and interesting.  We also rode through small towns and saw the remains of former sugar cane plantations.  At the end of the journey, we were bused back along the coast to the pier where we began our journey.  I highly recommend this excursion.  You will have a lot of fun and learn a lot about the island of St. Kitts.  It is definitely a train ride you will not soon forget!

St. John's, Antigua

We booked the Amazing Antigua tour.  It departed at 8 AM.  Originally we had planned to not book a tour on Antigua, but since we docked there on Christmas Day, we changed our plans and booked the Small Group Tour: Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley Heights, and Blockhouse Ruins that departed at 10:30 AM. The tour was scheduled for three hours.  Our actual time was about 3 hours and 15 minutes.  Both my wife and I enjoyed this tour.  In general, it was a scenic and historical tour of St. Johns and the area leading over to Shirley Heights and Nelson’s Dockyard.  The Blockhouse Ruins were windy, but the views were terrific.  At Shirley Heights, we were able to look down on Nelson’s Dockyard and take spectacular photos.  Nelson’s Dockyard was the highlight.  We enjoyed the historical tour and had some time to walk around.  Since it was Christmas Day, there was a Christmas celebration with music.  The only thing we would have changed is that we wished we had another half hour at Nelson’s Dockyard.  It was a good way to spend Christmas Day.

Celebrity Equinox

Remember to fill out your cruise docs ahead of time.  Also, book your island excursions online well ahead of time.  If you wait until you are on the ship, many choices will already be fully booked.  You will have a much better experience on the ship if you plan and prebook.  If you are taking excursions, bring along dollar bills to use for access to public restrooms.  Most restrooms on the islands charge for their use.

Willemstad, Curacao

We booked the Panoramic Curacao Island Tour at 1:45 PM. The trip was supposed to take 3 hours, but we were back in 2.5 hours. We toured the city of Willemstad and took a trip to a scenic outlook (at a gift shop) over Caracas Bay. Our last stop was a distillery (not my favorite type of stop, but we couldn’t get our first choice). The island was interesting, but we would have preferred to see more of the city and the natural areas of Curacao. The next time we visit, we will book our tour earlier. We did not have time to walk to the nearby city. We felt there was much more we wanted to see in Willemstad.

Kralendijk, Bonaire

We booked the Bonaire Highlights North and South tour. It departed at 8 AM. I enjoyed this tour. It was obvious that there are not a lot of exceptional things to see in Bonaire, but the tour guide did a good job of showing us the scenery and sites that were unique to Bonaire. I always try to avoid trips that make a major stop at alcohol factories or gift shops. This trip stopped at a Cultural Museum and the Slave Huts/Sea Salt Mining Operation. I enjoyed seeing the homes and lifestyles of the people of Bonaire. This was very interesting to me and I felt the trip was worthwhile. A good number on our trip thought it was a little boring. Read the trip descriptions carefully and choose something that is of interest to you. The trip was 3 hours long.

Miami, Florida

We were only in Miami to embark and disembark. We did not take a tour.

Oranjestad, Aruba

We booked the Aruba’s Hidden Gems tour. It departed at 8:15 AM and was supposed to be 4.5 hours long, but actually took a little over 5 hours. The tour made stops at a beach, a grotto, caves, a seashore cove, and a rock outcropping that overlooked the island. We also drove through the resort area to see the hotels and tourist areas. We really enjoyed the guide and sites of this tour. The only downside was that it was long. The natural sites were great to experience and we learned a lot about Aruba. We really toured all parts of the island. We would definitely recommend this tour. The one downside was that since we got back late, we did not have time to walk to the nearby city of Oranjestad.

Explorer of the Seas

Remember to fill out your cruise docs ahead of time.  Also, book your island excursions online well ahead of time. We waited until two weeks ahead of our cruise and found that many of our first choices were already fully booked.   You will have a much better experience on the ship if you plan and prebook. 

Miami, Florida

We drove to Miami from our home in Florida. Miami is a great town and we spent Christmas Day at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. We did not do any sightseeing or book any tours.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

We took the Discover Tortola tour which consisted of an around the island sightseeing drive and an hour-long visit to Paradise Beach. We booked the tour because it was our first time in the British Virgin Islands and we also wanted to use up our tour credit. The tour consisted of riding in an open-air converted truck/taxi. It took about 3 hours and was enjoyable. We had a drink at Paradise Beach and enjoyed the scenery there also. When we arrived back there was very little time for shopping, because the ship’s departure time was 1 PM.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Since we have been to St. Thomas many times before, we opted to stay on the ship and enjoy the Thermal Spa. The ship did dock downtown, so it would have been easy to walk into the city. We wished we had taken a walk into town, but we really enjoyed the peacefulness of the uncrowded Thermal Spa.

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

We are not sun people and have been to Great Stirrup Cay multiple times before. It was a nice day and people we knew who tendered over there enjoyed their day. We opted to stay on the ship and exercise. We also spent the day in the Thermal Spa.

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

We did not book an excursion here. We got off the ship and bought a few things in the shops at the end of the pier. The town looked nice, but we felt safer staying near the ship. We also did not have anything that we were looking to buy, so we used the time to enjoy extra time in the uncrowded Thermal Spa.

Norwegian Encore

Remember to fill out your cruise docs and absolutely book your Covid test ahead of time online through NCL. Make sure you have your test QR code ready and available when you arrive at the pier. You will save yourself a lot of time and frustration in waiting to embark on your cruise. If you want to make sure that you get good seating times for specialty dining and access to the shows, book your times and dates well ahead of time online at ncl.com. You will have a much better experience on the ship if you plan and prebook.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans - We arrived three days before our trip, so we could spend some time in New Orleans. If you are coming from out of town, spend some time in New Orleans. It is a great place to spend 2 or 3 days. Eat beignets, tour the town, and enjoy the exceptional food choices. One of our highlights was the 9:30 PM Ghosts and Haunted Cemeteries bus tour by Haunted History Tours. It was fascinating and creepy at the same time.

Harvest Caye, Belize

Some of us stayed on the ship, while the rest went to the beach and had an incredible experience.  Their assessment was that of the private cruise ship islands they have been to, this had the nicest beach of all.  The beach was very clean, wide, and the water was beautiful.  They stayed at the beach the entire day.  The one drawback was that NCL does not provide lunch on the island.   If you want to eat for free, you have to walk back to the ship (many people did).  There was a very nice Landshark Bar and Grill in the middle of the island, but you had to pay extra for your burgers and nachos.  Please be aware that you cannot use your cruise card account on the island - bring a credit card or cash.  You also have to bring any beach towels you wish to use from the ship.

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

My daughter petitioned us to visit the Gumbalimba Preserve and Animal Sanctuary.  It turned out to be one of the highlights of our cruise.  I strongly recommend it.  The cost was reasonable and all of us enjoyed it very much.  We were taken by bus to the sanctuary where we were assigned a guide.  At the sanctuary, we got to see some beautiful scenery and some different types of animals such as iguanas and a sloth.  The highlight was that we got to see and take some photographs with Macaws and free-roaming white-face monkeys.  Our local tour guide was very informative and friendly.  The photograph opportunities were a lot of fun.  The monkeys were very tame and climbed on each of us.  At the end of the tour, there was a pool and beach for us to use for the remainder of our stay at the sanctuary.  On the day we were there, the skies began to look rainy, so we headed back to the ship shortly after the tour.  You can depart at multiple times.  We really enjoyed this experience.  If you are traveling with children, this is a must-do experience they will talk about for a long time.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

This was a fun stop and a good place to pick up souvenirs.  There were a lot of shops and some Mayan oriented entertainment at a shopping complex at the docking pier.  It was an easy walk from the ship.  There were many souvenir shops as well as the normal jewelry stores and cruise oriented stores found in every cruise stop.  We spent about 60 minutes on shopping.   On the day we stopped, there were rough seas and windy conditions.  Some of our party booked an ATV experience and enjoyed it very much. They were able to ride along the beach and trails for about 3 hours.

Cozumel, Mexico

We chose the $50 credit per port excursion credit as one of our Free At Sea options, so we booked excursions at three different ports.  There was some confusion about how to get the credit, so we booked our excursions as soon as we got on the ship the first day to make sure we got the excursions we wanted and the credit.  We received the credits each night after we finished our excursions.  At Cozumel, we booked the Island Discovery & Chocolate Experience Tour.  It consisted of three different stops.  First, we rode to The Mayan Cacao Chocolate Company where we learned some Mayan history and the significance of chocolate to the native people who lived in this region.  We also had a demonstration of how chocolate was made.  All of it was good and in the end we had the opportunity to sample the different types of chocolate made by the company and of course, make some purchases.  Our second stop was to a scenic lookout point on a Cozumel beach along the Gulf coast.  It was beautiful and was by far my favorite stop.  Our third destination was at the Mayan Bee Sanctuary where we learned about bees and honey production.  It was not exceptional, and everyone seemed to be getting tired by this point.  It was interesting riding back through the city and seeing the communities where many of the residents of the island lived.  Overall, this excursion was an opportunity to get off the ship and around the island for a relatively small amount of money.  I found the guide annoying, but the other members of my family were fine with him.  It was not an exceptional tour, and I would have been more critical if we had paid a lot of money for it, but the cost with the Free At Sea reimbursement, made it a relatively cheap day.  It was a good excuse to get off the ship and see part of the island. 

Norwegian Getaway

Even though NCL advertises Freestyle Cruising and loves to tell you that you can do whatever you like, whenever you like, don’t believe it. If you want to make sure that you get good seating times for dinner and access to the shows, book your times and dates well ahead of time online at ncl.com. You will have a much better experience on the ship if you plan and prebook.

Port Canaveral, Florida

We only embarked here. We did not do any sightseeing here.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

This is another port we have been to multiple times before. We spent a few hours walking around Old San Juan. We used this stop to pick up souvenirs and to get a few things at the Walgreens across the street from the downtown pier. This is all we planned to do and we were satisfied. One experience you should not miss is the sail away. Cruise ships go by the Castillo San Critobal as they leave at the end of the day. Often it is around sunset. The views are spectacular and the scenery is something you will never forget.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

We chose to spend the day walking around Philipsburg and sitting by the promenade enjoying drinks and nachos. The downtown area of Philipsburg was a short $7/US roundtrip water taxi ride from the pier. We have toured the island before and did not feel a need to do it again. The island and beaches here are beautiful. In retrospect, we should have scheduled a beach day. If it is your first time, take a tour or book a beach day. Overall, we were satisfied with our day.

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

This was our favorite port of call. The newly refurbished Coco Cay is amazing. There is something for everyone here. We chose to exercise on the ship and eat lunch at 11:30 AM. After that, we went off the ship and found some beach chairs under an umbrella in the Chill Island area of the beach. Since we did not have children, we felt no need to purchase admission into the Water Park or to hang out by the pool. Chill Island was perfect for us. We swam in the ocean and enjoyed sitting on the lounge chairs. We stayed for about 3 hours and then headed back to the ship. It really was a perfect day.

Harmony of the Seas

Prebook your entertainment, shore trips, and specialty restaurants. Set up a Royal Caribbean online account and plan your days ahead of time. You will have a much better experience if you plan!

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

This was a great stop for an excursion and a good place to pick up souvenirs for the family back home. There were a lot of shops and some Mayan oriented entertainment at a shopping complex at the docking pier. It was an easy walk from the ship. There were many souvenir shops as well as the normal jewelry stores and cruise oriented stores found in every cruise stop. On the day we stopped, there were rough seas and windy conditions. All water oriented excursions were cancelled, which was easily half of the options offered. In fact, water was crashing against the pier as we got on and off the ship. We spent about 90 minutes shopping and purchasing a few souvenirs.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Since we arrived in New Orleans a day before our cruise, we did not arrange any sightseeing activities after our cruise. Nonetheless, New Orleans is a great town for sightseeing and enjoying life. Make some plans to stay here before or after your cruise.

Harvest Caye, Belize

We were impressed with the beach and the quality of this stop. Of the private islands we have been to, this definitely had the nicest beach. The beach was very clean, wide, and the water was beautiful. The one drawback was that NCL does not provide lunch on the island. You have to come back to the boat for a complimentary lunch (many people did). There was a very nice Landshark Bar and Grill in the middle of the island, but you had to pay extra for your burgers and nachos. In fact, you cannot use your cruise card account on the island - bring a credit card.

Cozumel, Mexico

We have been to Cozumel many times before. Our cruise docked there on Christmas Day. The tourist locations were open, but not much else. The Breakaway docked downtown, so it was an easy walk to the center of the city. There was a lot of shopping there and it was good stop. We just happened to make a call there on a day when much of the city was closed.

Norwegian Breakaway

No cruise is 100% perfect - so don’t waste your time focusing on the very few negative things that happen and take pleasure in the abundance of positive experiences that occur during your cruise. You’re on vacation - have fun and enjoy yourself!

Key West, Florida

I have been to Key West three times before, so I knew what to expect. This was my daughter’s first visit. It was a hot and humid day, and I can only handle limited sun exposure. Our ship docked at the Navy Pier, which meant that we had to be transported by shuttle to the downtown area. It’s a quick trip, but not as convenient as being downtown where you can easily go back to the ship for a short rest or a package drop off. We arrived in port at 1 PM and had a last call for 7PM. The cruise ship handed out departure tickets so that the gangways and shuttle trains were not crowded. We had group 7 and were off the cruise ship around 1:30. In town, we opted to take the Conch Train Tour. We also added the Hemingway House. We enjoyed both experiences. The tour is well worth the cost if you have not been to Key West before. We took the docent-guided tour at the Hemingway House and found it to be very informative. We walked back to Mallory Square along Duval Street and ate a late lunch of Sloppy Joes and Sloppy Ritas at the famous Sloppy Joes Bar. It was worth the stop. For desert, we had frozen chocolate covered Key Lime pies at Kermits Key West Key Lime Shoppe. If you like Key Lime pie and haven’t tried this treat then make Kermits at must-do stop on your Key West itinerary. We actually look for cruises that stop in Key West, so that we can make a pilgrimage to Kermits. After a little souvenir shopping, we caught the 6:30 shuttle back to the ship. There was no wait.

Port Canaveral, Florida

We did not stay in Port Canaveral. It was simply the place where we got on and off the ship. Generally, when we leave from Port Canaveral, we stay in Orlando for a day or two before our cruise. For this cruise we opted to use Lyft ride sharing to get from Orlando to the port. Our trip from Universal Studios cost us $65 on Monday morning. To get back to the Orlando Airport on Friday, we again used Lyft. Since there were four ships going through the disembarkation process at the same time, prices were higher than when we arrived from Orlando. Our ride cost us $78. We were at the Orlando Airport around 8:20 AM.

HAVANA, CUBA

Plan for a full day in Havana and make the most of your time here. If you have a plan, you will create a memorable experience. On the cruise on Day 2 there was a morning information and question session on what to expect in Havana. It was well worth attending this session, because I gained some valuable information on what to expect when we arrived in Havana. We purchased two tour excursions to make sure that we were OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) compliant: The Ultimate Highlights of Havana - Old & New city tour for the morning and the Legendary Tropicana Cabaret for the evening. There were 1400 people taking tours in the morning. The cruise ship was well organized and sent people out in groups of about 4 bus loads at a time. When we got to Cuba immigration, the officer took our visa and stamped our passport. The visa was only for the first entry. All we had to do was show our passport when we reentered later in the day. We enjoyed the Old and New Havana City tour. We gathered in the theater on the cruise ship at 8:30 AM, were assigned a bus, and were escorted to immigration. We had the opportunity to exchange money in the cruise terminal. We found Cuban Convertible pesos (CUCs) useful when touring on our own in the Old City. The stops made on the cruise tours took both American dollars and CUCs. The Cuban government charges a 13% commission to purchase CUCs. They also charge another 13% commission to convert unused CUCs back to American dollars. If you pay with American dollars on the tours, government run locations will charge the 13% commission. Independent retailers usually did not charge the commission. Each bus had a tour guide. Our guide was very knowledgeable about Havana and very open about her life in Cuba. She was willing to answer any question that was asked of her and she encouraged us to ask anything we wanted to. Along the way, we were given constant narration about the areas we saw outside the windows of our bus. The tour bus drove through Old Havana; made a stop at Revolution Square; drove slowly through the Christopher Columbus Cemetery; drove through the Miramar section of newer Havana; drove along the Malecon; stopped at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña for sightseeing and shopping; and stopped at the statue, El Cristo de La Habana, for an overview of the city of Havana. It was a hot day, so the combination of seeing sites from the bus was well balanced with the three stops. The tour began around 9:30 AM and ended at 1 PM at the cruise ship terminal. We purchased most of our souvenirs at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña at an independent stand. The selection seemed small, but we did not see many different choices in the streets and vendors of Old Havana. We also found that the prices were similar regardless of where we shopped. The merchants at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña were willing to bargain, especially if you were buying multiple items. We used American dollars and were not charged any exchange fees. After this, my daughter and I did our own walking tour of the plazas and architecture of Old Havana. We were hungry, so we had a good Cuban meal at the La Bodeguita de Media while enjoying their famous Mojitis. By around 3:30 PM, I felt I had too much sun, so I headed back to the cruise ship. My daughter toured for another hour. At night, our visit to the Tropicana began at 8:30 in the theater. Again we were assigned a bus and escorted through immigration. The bus arrived at the Tropicana around 9 PM. The show began at 10 PM. The hour in between was appropriate for getting settled and meeting the other people attending the show from the bus. We enjoyed our group. It’s important to note that the show is performed outside. It was warm when we viewed the show during the summer. There was a dress code for men and women. Men were required to wear slacks and a collared shirt. If you wished to take photographs during the show, there was an additional charge of $5 for a photo pass. We bought the pass and were glad that we chose to take photographs. On the way in, each person received a cigar in a glass tube. We were told that sometimes the women receive flowers, but for this performance, the women also received a cigar. Smoking was permitted during the show. Fortunately, no on in our group smoked. We were assigned to sit at long tables very close to the right, front side of the stage. They were good seats. The price of admission included a glass of champagne, a bottle of Coca Cola, a bottle of rum to be shared by four people, and a snack bowl of nuts and a piece of chocolate. The waiters did not serve these items until the show began, most likely because they wanted us to buy drinks while we were waiting. We did buy frozen strawberry daiquiris and some bottled water. Each strawberry daiquiri cost $7 and the water cost $3 US. The daiquiris were very good and price was reasonable. The show lasted for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. It was performed non-stop and there was constant singing, dancing, and even some acrobatics. It was very entertaining and lively. Even though all the singing was in Spanish, we enjoyed the experience. We got back to our bus at midnight and were back at the ship by 12:30 AM. Overall, we enjoyed the experience, and were glad that we booked this trip. Our guide also spoke highly of the Cabaret Parisien show at the Hotel Nacional.

Norwegian Sun

Definitely book your specialty dining times ahead of time in your Cruise Planner. This will help you to get the dining time that you want and the restaurant that you want. If you wait until you get on the ship, the optimal dining times will already be full. A little bit of planning and booking will greatly enhance your on board experience.

Cozumel, Mexico

We booked the day long Chichen Itza trip. We were glad that we did this trip, because we really wanted to see Chichen Itza. We have been trying to get to this archeological site for a few years, but were not able to find something that worked for us. Having said this, we must also note that we would not do this trip again. It was long and exhausting. Even though the brochure lists this excursion as 7 hours and 15 minutes, our actual trip began at 6:45 AM in the Opal Theater and ended at 5:30 PM we we re-entered the Oasis (10 hours, 45 minutes). These are the details. We left at 6:45 AM and took a ferry from the ship’s pier in Cozumel to Playa del Carmen on the mainland of Mexico. The ferry ride took about 45 minutes. A good number of people developed sea sickness on the crossing. It was not pleasant. After we departed the ferry, we marched single file to our buses. After boarding, we road about 3 hours to the site. After a quick bathroom break, we had a one hour and 15 minute tour of the site. After this we had about 40 minutes of free time. Next, we had a bathroom break on the way out, a 3 hour bus ride back, followed by a return 45 minute ferry ride. The rest of the time was used up in transfers and waiting in line. The ferries were crowded, and we ended up with seats next to the restroom on the bus. In addition, the tour of Chichen Itza did not include the observatory (El Caracol) or the Sacred Cenote (Ik Kil). Again, we were glad that we saw the site, but the trip was exhausting and used up a full day of our cruise.

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

We enjoyed spending the day at Labadee. Each time we visit this place, we find new things to do and new places to explore. Most of the time, we spent relaxing on the beach.

Falmouth, Jamaica

We have been to Jamaica many times before and have experienced many of the tours offered by the cruise. For this trip, we opted to just visit the shops at the pier.

Port Canaveral, Florida

We were only in Port Canaveral for Embarkation and Disembarkation.

Oasis of the Seas

Definitely book your dining times and night time shows in advance online in your Cruise Planner. Even though we found that seats were available for each show, we felt we enjoyed them more, because we had good seats. If you do book a show, get there when the doors open and get the seat you want. A little bit of planning and booking will greatly enhance your onboard experience.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

We enjoyed walking around Philipsburg and having something to eat along the beach. When we visit again, we will book an excursion to a beach.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

The ship docked around 2 PM and it was dark by 5 PM. We wished we had more daylight hours in San Juan. Overall, we enjoyed walking around Old San Juan.

Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey

We only embarked and disembarked here.

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

This was our favorite private island of the all the cruise lines. We enjoyed being able to walk off the ship. We went later in the day and found it easy to get two beach chairs in one of the coves. There is much to do on the island and many places to enjoy the beach. Unfortunately intermittent showers arrived later in the day.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

The shore excursion we took: Sail to Honeymoon Cove and Christmas Beach in St. Thomas was excellent!

Anthem of the Seas

Book your dining times, shows, Rip Cord by iFly, and North Star online before you get on the ship. I can state this enough - you will have a much more enjoyable experience if you plan these experiences before you get on the ship.