gauthierc98

This was my first cruise and was a little overwhelming. I forgot to fill out a form for one of the onboard credits so it was forfeited which was disappointing. Parking in New Orleans was very confusing. It took us three tries to find a parking area as the "whale" lot was full? when we arrived at port. Balcony room was just the right size and well located above the theatre which was OK. Dolphin swim and ride excursion was a good experience although renting a locker is not necessary as there are bins near the pool for personal items. Suggest bringing your own snorkel equipment (with mouthpiece) for Sharks, Rays and Island getaway as only mask was provided and I swallowed alot of salt water that day.Our guide Karim was excellent though and we did see plenty of rays and sharks along with plenty of fish. Roatan zip line and Island tour was well worth the price. We had an excellent guide (Diane) for the island and glad we chose the monkey and sloth farm over the Iguana Farm as interacting with the animals was encouraged. Costa Maya was our least favorite port. very dirty and we got sick from food or drink from this port. Entertainment on ship was excellent. food on ship was varied and plentiful. loved the pool side bbqs after a day in port. shopping consultant on ship was focused on jewelry and watches and promoting certain "approved" shops and provided little guidance on negotiating with the natives on other types of items like textiles (blankets, clothes). Suggest watching cell phone usage if not on an international plan as using ships wifi is expensive. we had a $200 charge by day 3 and turned our phones off after that. Overall a great experience and would likely do it again with adjustments from the lessons learned above.