After getting on the ship in Tampa, Florida on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we spent the first full day on board, cruising the Caribbean. Then on Tuesday, our first port of call was in Roatan. We did a little research beforehand and discovered the West Bay area had great beaches, restaurants, and snorkeling. We had originally planned to take a cab or bus to the beach for about $15 per person round trip, but when we got off the ship, we were told you could rent a van for $100 for the day. Since there were eight of us, we decided to make it an adventure and go at it on our own! Thankfully my brother Mark speaks fluent Spanish so he could read all of the road signs and ask for directions when needed, so he was gracious enough to be the driver. Roatan is only about 40 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, so it's not too hard to navigate.
We ended up at Bananarama, a dive resort and restaurant right on West Bay Beach. We were able to park our van nearby for $1 per hour (all of the places we stopped at on the cruise, especially those close to the ports, accepted the U.S. dollar in addition to their local currency, so we never had to exchange any money.)
Once we arrived, we were able to set up shop on the beautiful white sand, taking in the site of the incredibly beautiful ocean. The water was absolutely amazing, both in beauty and temperature. We had discussed taking a snorkeling trip but didn't reserve one in advance. When we arrived at the beach, several locals approached us, offering to take us out on their personal boats. The prices varied per person, but we ended up going with someone who took us for $10 per person. It was very informal (no forms to sign, no life jackets), but they did provide snorkels and fins, and took us to a beautiful reef nearby. You could actually see the area from the beach, but it was probably too far to swim. The guide even got in the water with us and pointed out some different things. We pretty much stayed in the water as along as we wanted, and were probably on the trip for a good hour and a half or so. It was definitely worth the $10, and the snorkeling was fantastic! If you're with a decent size group, I definitely recommend renting a car and doing something similar, as it's significantly cheaper than booking an organized excursion through the ship.
After we went snorkeling we were able to relax on the beach and swim a bit. One thing to note - it's typical for locals to come up to you and try to sell you things such as jewelry, massages, food, etc. It can be a bit annoying, but when you tell them "no gracias", they're generally good about leaving you be. Although, Brian did decide to get an empanada from a local man who said they were made by his mom. It was the right call too; it was good!
After we spent time at the beach, we grabbed lunch at the Bananarama restaurant where we were able to get a table outside, with a great ocean view, just a few feet from the sand. It was a great way to end our time in West Bay Beach.
While this area of beach was a bit crowded, it had everything we needed right there for our short visit - cheap snorkeling trip, amazing turquoise water, and great food and drinks at the restaurant. I thought it was the perfect experience for the limited time we had in Roatan.
I believe we had to return the car by 3:30pm and had to be on the ship by 5pm, so on the way back to the port area, Brian, my step-dad Ed, and two brothers, dropped me, my mom, and Brian's parents off at some shops near the port when they went to fill up with gas before returning the rental car. We did some shopping while waiting for them to come back, however, a significant amount of time passed and they hadn't returned yet. We were starting to worry, so we headed back to the car rental place to see if the car had been returned (it was just after 3:30pm at that time), but it had not. Of course I was thinking all sorts of worse-case scenarios in my head as we walked around the port area trying to find them. Finally, much to our relief, they arrived with the rental car. Apparently after they got gas at a station five minutes away from where they dropped us off, a cop directing traffic had them turn the wrong direction, so they had to pretty much go around the whole island again to get back to the port. I was reminded how lucky we are to have cell phones in the states so we can just give someone a quick call to provide an update. Brian and I don't carry our cell phones when we travel international, so we unfortunately didn't have that luxury. After that experience, I did vow to never be separated from Brian in a foreign country ever again!
Besides the awful thoughts of what could be happening to my husband and half of my family when they were "missing", I think Roatan may have been my favorite stop. The beaches and snorkeling were amazing and the locals were very friendly.
The next day we arrived in Belize City, Belize. Prior to the cruise, we did some research and found cave tubing is one of the top things to do in Belize, so we booked the "Cave Tubing & Rainforest Trek" through the ship. (We actually booked this one while we were on the ship and found the price went up $10 per person. I recommend booking your excursions prior to your departure if you know what you want to do.)
We were picked up at the port by a school bus and taken to the rainforest about an hour away. When we got there and were waiting in line to get our tubes, it started pouring down rain for 10 or so minutes. It was actually really cool because it made the adventure feel very authentic. After we picked up our tubes, we hiked with a guide and group of eight through the rainforest to the entrance of the cave (which took about 30 minutes). The hike wasn't bad at all, and was actually pretty fun. We walked through the rainforest and had to cross a couple of creeks before we arrived at the entrance of the caves. We then hopped in and started our hour-long float through the ancient Mayan caves. I was concerned the water would be cold, but it wasn't bad at all. It was a very cool experience and we all had a great time.
After we finished the float, we ate lunch at a restaurant on site (it was included in the excursion cost.) It was buffet-style and really good. When we finished, we got back on the bus and headed back to the port. When we arrived we had about 30 minutes before we needed to get back on the ship, so Brian and I did a little shopping and enjoyed a local beer before getting back on board. We were very happy with the excursion and would certainly recommend it.
The next day we stopped in Costa Maya, Mexico where everything you could want was right there at the port. I think this city is actually centered around the port, so I'm not even sure if there is much more when you leave the port area. There was a beach area (not the nicest beach, but a beach none-the-less) where you could snorkel and lay out, hammocks, Senor Frogs restaurant and bar, vendors with beverages walking around, tons of shops, and even an area with dolphins where you could have a "dolphin encounter"! So for this location, it wasn't necessary to even leave the port. It was nice because we were obviously pretty busy the two prior days, so it was nice to just relax for a day. While we enjoyed it, we were glad the majority of ports weren't that way because it did have a Spring Break-type vibe. While that's fun sometimes, we also like to get out and about and experience the culture.
Our last stop of the trip was Cozumel, Mexico. Me, Brian, my parents and his parents all scheduled the "Dune Buggy & Beach Snorkel" excursion for this location, while my brothers took an excursion to see the Tulum Mayan Ruins (a gorgeous area we enjoyed on our previous trip to Mexico). For our excursion there were four people to a dune buggy, so Brian drove me and our moms, and Ed and Poppa Jim rode with another couple, who we randomly met in Roatan and learned they live only a few streets away from us in Jacksonville Beach!
We hopped in our dune buggies and traveled about 30 - 40 minutes to the southern part of Cozumel to Punta Sur ecological park. Although, we did run into some trouble trying to get there... On the way we were cruising along and suddenly the dune buggy started slowing down and eventually stopped. In addition to the guide in the front, there was a chase car in the back who saw us and pulled over. They were eventually able to get the dune buggy started again, but had us switch buggies just to be on the safe side. Thank goodness they did, because later we learned they broke down again and had to hitchhike back to the port! The new dune buggy worked great for us, but when we got close to Punta Sur, the buggy in front of us stalled out. The guide had us basically push them with our front bumper to get them going again. This happened several times, including going up a hill, in the middle of the street on our way back to the port, etc. Although, it was quite fun!
After we eventually made it to the beach, we picked up our snorkeling gear and headed to the water with our guide. Both the water and the sand were extremely beautiful here also! The snorkeling was great; I got to see the biggest starfish I've ever seen in my life, and got very close to a barracuda. Unfortunately we didn't have a waterproof camera to take any photos, so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it!
After snorkeling we had a buffet-style lunch waiting for us, which again was included in the excursion price. It was pretty good also. We were able to hang out at the beach for maybe 30 minutes or so which would actually be my only complaint - it would have been nice to be able to spend more time at the beach before heading back. But the ride back was beautiful! We ended up going around the entire island in the dune buggies, and the majority of the trip back was on the coast, so we had amazing views. The trip back probably took 30 - 40 minutes as well and was very enjoyable.
After arriving back at the port area, we had a decent amount of time before we needed to be back on the ship, so did some more shopping. (There are tons of shops around the port here, too.) You can find vanilla for a really good price in a lot of the stores, especially the grocery-type stores. (I would recommend waiting to purchase the vanilla in Cozumel vs. Costa Maya because it is a little cheaper the farther away from the port you get, and of course with Costa Maya, you don't really leave the port). Our folks decided to head back to the ship, but Brian and I opted for a quick visit to a restaurant where we were able to get some guacamole and his favorite local beer, Sol. The last time we were in Mexico we loved the guacamole, so we couldn't leave without getting some while we were there! It definitely didn't disappoint, either. We were on the second floor of the restaurant and were able to see people walking up and down the streets and funny enough, spotted my brothers walking down the street! So they were able to join us for a drink and food before we had to get back on the ship.
We enjoyed each of the ports and were very happy with the excursions we chose; we wouldn't have changed a thing. We were also very impressed with Norwegian. It's well-run ship with friendly staff, nice, updated, and clean ship (they had many hand sanitizer stations throughout the ship, and staff with hand sanitizer spray at the entry of each restaurant), nice rooms, great entertainment, and good food.
Regarding the food, they do things a little differently compared to other cruise lines. They have a program they call Freestyle Dining. Instead of having a specific time for dinner like the majority of cruise ships have, they allow you to eat in the main dining rooms whenever you'd like (and you aren't paired with random people). With this approach we found we did have to wait a bit to be seated, however, it wasn't too bad at all. I think the longest we had to wait was 30 or so minutes. They give you a pager too, so you're free to walk around while you wait. They do offer two reservation times for these free dining rooms for 5:15pm or 8:15pm. We took advantage of this for some of the nights so we could avoid the wait.
In addition to the two free main dining rooms, they also have a variety of specialty restaurants that require a cover charge (anywhere from I think $10 - $25), but then it is all-you-can-eat once you're there. We went to two specialty restaurants - El Bistro, the French one and La Cucina, the Italian one. We went to the French restaurant for Ed's birthday and it was amazing! This particular restaurant cost $20 per person, but it was definitely worth it! Brian and his mom ordered escargot for an appetizer. Most of us at the table had never tried it before, so we tried theirs and all discovered we loved it! By the end of the night, I think we had a total of seven orders of escargot! Each of our meals were delicious and the service was fantastic. It was a great night! (And if you're cruising on Norwegian with someone who has a birthday, just call Norwegian at least one week prior to your sail date and let them know. They'll give you a voucher for a free birthday cake for any dinner you'd like.)
Our last night on the ship we tried the Italian restaurant for $10 per person and we were not impressed. The service and food were both mediocre. Granted, we may have had a different experience if we had not gone to the French restaurant first, but I would recommend skipping the Italian restaurant.
We were also very pleased with the location of our rooms. Brian's mom did quite a bit of research before we booked our room locations. You have to be careful to not choose a room directly underneath a bar or club if you don't want to be disturbed when you're trying to sleep at night. We ended up in rooms 4528, 4532, 4536 and 4538. We were at the front of the ship, really close to stairs and an elevator, and directly below the area where we chose to spend most of our time - the adults only area at the front of the ship on I believe Deck 12. There were great spots for laying out and a nice hot tub. We were also very close to the area where you get on and off the ship at each of the ports, so the rooms were very convenient to everything.
As far as length of the cruise, Brian did think seven days was a bit long for him personally, but our moms could have gone another week, so it's really based on your preferences. Also, while Brian and I had a fantastic time with our family, we don't know if we would go on another cruise with just the two of us. We like to see all we can when we're in a new place, so we felt the need to get off the ship as soon as we were able, and not get back on until the very last minute, which made for a fairly busy vacation. However, with the itinerary we had, we did have two full days to relax on the boat which was nice. We definitely agree this is a great vacation option for a family and overall, we were extremely pleased with the trip and everyone had a fantastic time! The price was very reasonable and you certainly get a great value for your money. I would highly recommend Norwegian based on our experience, and would even specifically recommend this cruise. Oh, and an added bonus - Javy Lopez (handsome and former Atlanta Braves catcher) was on the cruise with his family!
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| An exciting game of Catch Phrase on our last night! |
Next up... Thailand! We just booked our flights for our two-week, 5th wedding anniversary trip so we're looking forward to researching that destination and welcome any and all feedback!
