A brief introduction to Mexico on a small ship. The cruise people will push you to shop on the ship and at the arrange shops onshore. Venture beyond if you really want to see Mexico.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Since we did the prework, we were able to walk on the ship and start enjoying our vacation.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was okay. We were disappointed that there really was not much Mexican and authentic cruise destination foods.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Most of the indoor activities were tied to shopping. We did not climb the rock wall.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
We have seen high school productions that were better than the professional shows onboard. Most of the entertainment was performed by crew members where English was a second language. They tried, but it was still difficult to understand what they were saying.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service workers were really great.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
This is the oldest and smallest ship in the fleet, so there are limitations, compared to what you see on the mega ships. On the other hand, due to the small size, you can get most places very quickly.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was a perfect size for the two of us. It was great having a full-size bathtub. The espresso machine was a great touch and was frequently used. The balcony had a magnificent view.
Not much to do. The ship docks at a cruise line owned outdoor shopping mall. The vendors in this mall are constantly trying to get you into their stores to buy overpriced items. A few of the stores are reasonable. We enjoyed the bird walk. Buy your tickets at the bird walk to save money. The ship marks up the price of the excursions.
We took the Chocolate, Honey, and Tequila excursion. It was fun, educational, low priced, and we got to see over half of the island on the bus ride. The excursion leader was able to direct us to a taco truck and shops that were not in the port shopping area.
Nena1111 if you use the Royal Caribbean app, it will walk you through the forms and steps to be ready to board fast. Some steps you need to do within 24 hours of departure. One thing that tripped us up was having our COVID tests done at Quest Diagnostics, it took them 5 days to get back with results. Don't go to Quest. We had to buy a test at the port to satisfy boarding requirements. Fortunately, the test took only 15 minutes to complete.
Tip: if you really want to see Mexico, take a plane, stay a week or more in a city that's not a tourist hotspot. Cruises do not allow you to really see anywhere.
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