danley2

Galveston, Texas

Embarkation was a breeze. Parked across from the terminal in the covered parking and the walk was minimal and easy.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

This port is boring. They have alot of things in port to do because there isn't much outside of port unless you want to spend 2-3 hours in a cramped van/bus doing distant excursions. There is a swim up bar, an aviary tour, dolphin excursion, plus bars and restaurants. Beyond that, not much else to do. We spent about an hour in port and got right back on the ship. The port itself is very clean but full of too many people, especially when there are multiple ships in port at the same time.

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Mahogany Bay port is far superior to the Coxen Hole port. But the port shops all seem to sell the same thing. Do people really buy gold and diamonds in these ports? Seemed like there were too many of those shops. I needed some Rum Cakes to bring home. Our excursion did not take us anywhere to buy them. I was disappointed to find that no shop in the port sold them. Seemed odd. Outside of our excursion, we very little time at the port shops. We aren't beach people but the chair lifts and beaches seemed to be a popular option for those that do. I've been to Roatan several times and they are doing a great job improving their infrastructure. The roads are much better than they used to be. We did the Brewery Tour excursion and Roatan Brewery. It was informative and the beers and food offerings were delicious. The tour was interesting and showed how creative they are to recycle and minimize waste anywhere possible. Operational expenses on the island are high so they find ways to offset it.

Cozumel, Mexico

There is always something to do in Cozumel. The port is large and there are plenty of excursions to choose from. We did a third party excursion for deep sea fishing and enjoyed it. But we were on our own for transportation to and from.

Carnival Jubilee

Brand new ships are always fully booked. Be prepared for alot of crowds and people wandering haplessly when you are trying to walk around them. Things never go perfectly but you have to learn to adapt and not let it bother you. Just enjoy the downtime. Your attitude determines your enjoyment.

Cozumel, Mexico

I love Cozumel. I've been there 5 times on different cruises. There is always something to do. This time we took a 3rd party food tour and had delicious food at 3-4 stops and a stop at the bakery for dessert. Worth the price and we were the only 2 on the tour. It took a little more effort having to take a taxi to the Mega supermarket meet up point but it was easy to get there and only $8.

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Royal's port is very run down vs Carnival's port and much smaller. There is alot of infrastructure improvement going on on Roatan now. Lots of new roads being paved. Roatan is still better than Jamaica.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

There were not alot of interesting excursions here but their port was incredible. I think it was actually better than Cozumel. The bird aviary tour was fun.

Allure of the Seas

The Royal app is your friend. It can be cumbersome to navigate and free wifi is spotty for app use only. But it will help you find your way around and stay organized to your planned events. Some people complained about everything. This isn't a Regent Seven Seas luxury cruise AND there will be children on board. If this bothers you, don't make everyone else miserable around here. Just stay home and let the rest of us enjoy our vacations.

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

Progreso isn’t great. Go into Merida for tons of culture and history.