Overall, I had an even better cruise on this one. I saw more Mayan stuff which I really enjoyed though as noted, I wasn't pleased with the Mayan Eden tour. I found the ferry boats to Playa Del Carmen interesting. 1 was very comfortable. The other was cattle car with people sitting 12 across - 3 6 3. If you like foreign brews, you could try some Belizean beer 🍺 while in port like I did. I believe 1 bar I visited had 2 for $5. This was a great cruise with a better itinerary than my first cruise (only 2 days at sea).
Embarkation
3 out of 5
As noted in my review of the first of my back to back cruises, they hosed up my check in to where I had to go back and do it again. Also, they checked my vaccination card. What did they think was going to change on it in a week?
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Windjammer Cafe was awesome again. I did get a vanilla milkshake at the Ben & Jerry's. I thought it was a decent milkshake. I believe it cost me over $5.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Day Spa and Fitness Center
5 out of 5
The fitness center was great again and, I enjoyed the track on deck 12 where you could walk or run
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The ship's staff were stellar again. They worked very hard to keep everyone safe while doing their best so everyone would have a great vacation.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was kept immaculate and, it has devices that will help you find various venues on the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Again, the thing I liked about this cabin was its location. It was just 1 deck below the Windjammer Cafe. I wouldn't recommend it for more than 1 person.
Ship tip
If you want to save 10% on your excursions, go to their excursions presentation. I got a ticket from them that saved me $23 on my excursions.
I did the Mayan Eden tour here. The good part was the neat animals they had. You could get hugged by a sloth, feed a white face monkey and have on your arm an absolutely stunning scarlet macaw. The downside is all the Mayan stuff is reproductions as far as I know and they have a wire cable bridge you walk across that shakes, bounces and dips as you try to get over it. Obviously, I didn't care for this bridge.
There are Hard Rock Cafes at Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen. I'd never been to the 1 at Playa Del Carmen so, I decided to check it out. From the cruise ship terminal, you take a taxi to San Miguel which costs $10. Then, you get a ticket for 1 of the 2 ferry company boats. They alternate on the hours they depart. The ride takes 45 minutes. The Cafe is about 4 blocks away. The window on it says the rock shop opens at 10 a.m. It doesn't. It opens as I discovered at 11 a.m. Kiddie cornered from the Cafe is a Häagen-Dazs ice cream shop which is worth checking out.
This port had the Mayan site I enjoyed the most. The tour takes you to a place called Ultun Ha. It has 2 plazas and at least 4 temples 2 of which aren't fully excavated. The thing I liked about this site is you can climb the temples. The best 1 was the Sun Temple which I believe was 54 feet up and offered fabulous views of both plazas. There were wooden rails along the steps you climb to get to the top.
See my comments about it in my first review. If you're doing back to back cruises, get off the boat and see some of the old part of Galveston. It's worth it.
I did the tour to Chocchoban. At 1 time, 20,000 Mayans lived there. 1 site of particular note is some steep steps that lead up to the tallest pyramid in the site. It's a very neat surprise when you get to the top. Also, keep an eye out for the monkeys. They're out there.
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