A Western Caribbean Cruise Review

Our group of cruise candidates was large, with a crew of 11 people with ages ranging from 8 to 87. Choosing a particular cruise was not an easy task, but we finally decided on an 8 day Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines trip to the western Caribbean on Voyager of the Seas. Departure was from Galveston, Texas with stops at Costa Maya, Mexico, Roatan, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico before returning to Galveston. Air travel time was a factor, as was on board activities and shore excursions.

It wasn't easy for that many people scattered across 3 states to coordinate the trip. We finally had one person make the cruise, motel and transportation reservations while everyone handled their own shore excursions and any extra's such as free soda on board ship. Once the actual cruise reservation had been made it could be modified by individual families with such add on's quite easily.

We began planning our trip by booking our cruise through Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines with each family responsible for then finding their own shore excursions at each stop. These ranged from the zip line and catamaran snorkeling trips at Roatan to snorkeling at Costa Maya, with all of us wanting to swim with the dolphins at Cozumel. We all chose to book our excursions through Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for the catamaran excursion at Roatan and the "swim with the dolphins" shore excursion at Cozumel but found better deals better suited to our needs for the Roatan zip line excursion as well as the snorkeling at Costa Maya.

The problems started just two days before departure when I was just looking at the "my cruise" section of the Royal Caribbean Lines section of their website; it seemed that our Roatan catamaran excursion had changed dates. I was finally able to confirm that the itinerary for our western Caribbean cruise had changed; the stops remained the same but in a different order on different days. The cruise lines help desk offered little help; they told me several times that although they would "try" to accommodate us with shore excursions booked through them (with their exhorbitant prices) but that they were unable to help with home booked shore excursions. They were unable, or unwilling, to tell me when the change had been made, and on one call in particular I was unable to even confirm what our itinerary actually was. While I was able to change the dates of our shore excursions in Roatan and Costa Maya (Cozumel did not change) I really felt that some kind of email notice, or even a simple notice on their own web site should have been given, and at a much earlier date than 2 days before our cruise.

We had to fly into Houston instead of Galveston due to lack of airline travel to Galveston, and this necessitated ground transportation to Galveston. We all investigated car rentals, but came up blank. Houston has imposed such high taxes on car rentals that the actual cost more than doubled when taxes were added and we found that we could get a van service, with driver, to both get us from Houston to the boat dock and return a week later for less cost than renting. Houston needs to re-think the policy of dinging their tourists to support the city. Although we could have flown into Houston on the day of departure and made the cruise ship departure time out of Galveston it would have been close and we chose instead to spend a night in Houston. It was a good choice; it would have been a very long day for both the children and for Grandma and we were glad we did it that way.

Our transportation to the cruise ship went without a hitch the next day and boarding the ship was relatively quick and easy. We were given a "credit card" tied to another payment method that was to be used on board ship rather than cash - it was also our room key, which guaranteed we would carry it at all times and be ready to pay for products and services on board the ship. We explored the ship, napped, and played mini-golf for a few hours before coming together again for dinner. Interestingly, the dinner that night was the chosen time to announce our new port of call itinerary and by that time we had left dock and were out to sea. I have wondered since what those people that had not found about the changes did about it - ship to shore communication was only through the expensive cruise Lines system or non-existent. Some people left the ship during various ports of call, while others got on, and there had to be many that, like our group, had booked shore excursions directly instead of through the cruise line.

Over half of our time was spent on board the Voyager of the Seas, and overall we had a great experience here. We had chosen the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship with an eye toward a variety of entertainment and were not disappointed. Our first half day and much of the following day were quite cold - nearly everyone wore jackets while outside and there were no takers anywhere for the outdoor pools. Very unusual for the Galveston area in March, but not that objectionable as there was plenty of entertainment inside. Lots of exploring to do, lots of food to sample, and a good show every night.

Food on board was excellent. Our entire crew very much enjoyed the lunch and breakfast buffets at the windjammer cafe. This, coupled with the main dining room, was the "free" place to eat and was the one we all used for breakfast and lunch. Grandma quickly discovered that she shouldn't load her plate with everything that looked good; it left no room for the next meal! Dinner at the main dining room was terrific, as was the service there - it certainly put to shame our typical vacation dinner in a campground. With the wide variety of tastes at our table (our group took the entire table, which was nice) it was no trouble for everyone to find something on the menu they wanted. Time delays at dinner were minimal, and we never spent very long waiting for our orders. All in all we were all very pleased with the experience

Our cabins were, of course, on the small side when compared to a motel, but were comfortable and I was surprised that they were as large as they were. Each cabin had a queen sized bed (or two singles), a large closet, a small bathroom and a couch and writing table. The TV service, I guess, was alright - I only turned it on for information about our cruise or the ship itself as there was altogether too much else to investigate and enjoy. We never used the room service, but the staff that cleaned our rooms were often present and were always pleasant - one of the fun and unexpected things we found were towels folded into animals in our rooms each day.

The recreation possibilities were more than adequate for our group. There was a mini-golf course, roller blading, a climbing wall, a basketball/soccer court ( where our kids kicked the ball overboard!), an ice skating rink, a very nice exercise/spa area and of course lots of pools and hot tubs. There was very often some kind of entertainment happening near the main pool area from music to cooking. A jogging track was available to get rid of calories from too much good food. A video game room for older children was always in use.

Entertainment was also common and quite good. Various shows were produced during our stay and were always well done. Of particular interest was an ice skating show during our cruise - an unexpected occurrence in the middle of the Caribbean.

There was a good bit of shopping on board, mostly jewelry, liquor and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines items such as towels, model ships, caps, etc. I am not much of a shopper, and never for jewelry, so did not visit the stores very much. Likewise there was a casino on board, but it was not of much interest to me.

About the only negative response I had to our time on board was the constant attempts by Royal Caribbean to get more money from the passengers. Photographers were everywhere, taking pictures that were then for sale to us. Dinner often saw cameras going off all around and it was common to find a mini studio set up at the bottom of the main staircase as that made a good photo opportunity. Pictures were expensive and for the most part we took our own. As noted above, our room key/credit card was used for ship board purchases; that assured we always had the cost of something we wanted on us as we passed shops. Such things as fresh orange juice were always pushed and were always expensive. Soft drinks were available, but again quite expensive. Our last night dinner featured our wait staff singing (or lip syncing) in an effort to increase the tips we left that night.

Voyager of the Seas is not a small ship, and it took a couple of days of exploring to cover it all - a time well spent as we were then able to negotiate our way about the ship with no trouble.

For myself, the highlights of our Caribbean cruise were the shore excursions. Our first stop was at Costa Maya, where our entire crew had chosen to go snorkeling. Most of us had never been and all wanted to try it. We had arranged a snorkeling tour independent of Royal Caribbean as more suited to our needs and very much enjoyed the trip. We all fit into one boat, where we were taken perhaps 1/2 mile off shore. Snorkeling gear was provided, although some of us had purchased gear before leaving home thinking that we could use it whenever we wanted, including some learning time in the on board swimming pools. Purchasing our own also eliminated any hygiene considerations.

The port of call of Costa Maya is relatively new, being little more than a small fishing village, but a consortium of cruise lines has built a small tourist area near the boat dock. We were told not to proceed beyond that point as there was nothing to see elsewhere and no shopping; a total fabrication by the cruise line as the village had at least as much shopping there as did the dock area built by the cruise lines. Mostly trinkets and food, but there were several massage booths set up as well - they seemed popular at about $20 for a hours massage. The village is about a mile from the dock and taxis are available for the short ride into the village although the cruise lines won't let them into their shopping area itself.

We had more than a few natives insist that we sit at their tables and let them provide food after our snorkeling, and took one of them up on it. A pleasant setting on the beach to rest after our excursion, and we enjoyed the food. We all spent some time visiting the shops set up on a boardwalk along the beach and found that the vendors absolutely insisted on us buying something - to say no was sometimes difficult, Although the wind came up and we got rained on for a short period we all enjoyed the day and our first snorkeling trip.

Whatever you choose to do at Costa Maya, don't fall for the line that everything interesting is in the cruise lines' tourist area. It isn't - it was far more interesting to visit the village than the typical tourist traps selling overpriced souvenirs and assorted junk. The village beach is free and very pretty - it is well worth the 4 or 5 dollar taxi fare to get there for the day.

Our next port of call was Roatan, Honduras where our younger members chose a zip line excursion and the rest opted for a catamaran ride with snorkeling followed by a visit to Gumbalimba Park.

Those of us that chose the zip line came back to the ship tired but excited. It had been quite a day for them starting with a jeep ride up the mountain and then many zip lines to ride on, from short to very long. All were extremely please with their experience and it was the highlight of the trip for all 3 children.

The catamaran ride began with a van ride to the catamaran boat that wound through the city for a while, showing us the sights there. There were 2 boats for the tour, each carrying about 20 people, and the catamaran ride itself was relaxing and enjoyable as we traveled the length of the island of Roatan. This tour we had booked through cruise Line and it showed; there were close to 50 people total on the tour.

Arriving at the reef, snorkeling gear was distributed and a guide entered the water with us, showing us around through the reef. I thought the snorkeling was better at Roatan than Costa Maya; the reef was larger and had a varied depth throughout it, and the guide helped by showing us the best sites for viewing. The weather was also better, with smaller waves, which helped we newbies considerably.

After snorkeling the crew of the boat provided lunch for all us; chicken and side dishes that were quite good after our exercise in the water. Given that they cooked on the small boat it really was excellent.

Following snorkeling and lunch we docked at Gumbalimba Park and disembarked while the catamaran proceeded back home - we would take a van ride back to the ship. Gumbalimba was very interesting and everyone again enjoyed the experience. Macaws and monkeys abounded, and our guide had everyone hold one of each on their shoulder for pictures. We had been warned that the monkeys were not tame and to treat them with the respect due a wild animal; one poor lady sat frozen on a park bench as a monkey jumped on her lap and tried to go through her purse. The plant life and flowers were absolutely beautiful and other wildlife was common; iguanas and macaws were everywhere we looked. Gumbalimba was a rather special place and I wished that we could have had more time there.

On the way back to the boat our van broke down and we had to wait for perhaps 20 minutes for a replacement to come. You have to wonder about some people; one infuriated lady paced up and down the road screaming at the excursion employees that they had to get another van right now and that she wanted her money back. All over a 20 minute wait - it just didn't make sense to make such a fuss over nothing.

Although we didn't get to see much of Roatan up close except for the park, it was a very enjoyable shore excursion for our cruise and I would recommend it to anyone interested in a pleasant boat ride of snorkeling. Gumbalimba Park is available through other excursion packages if the boat doesn't sound interesting.

Our entire group again picked the same shore excursion at Cozumel, Mexico - we all wanted to swim with the dolphins. We picked the "push-pull" all inclusive excursion booked through Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

After a short briefing we were issued swim goggles and a life preserver and led to a large outdoor pen where we entered the water with a dolphin. We watched as the trainer had the dolphin swim by us where we could touch him and then do a few jumps. We each had a chance to "shake hands" with the dolphin and hold him in our arms. Each person got to be towed by the dolphin by hanging onto his flippers and then, by holding a leg out stiff behind us while riding on a boogie board, the dolphin pushed us back towards the edge of the pen. The power exhibited by the dolphin was awesome and he probably wasn't really even trying hard. One girl was a non-swimmer and though we had life jackets on she was terrified of both the water and the dolphin; the trainer was very helpful and understanding and eventually convinced her to play with the dolphin which really made her day. I was impressed with the kindness and understanding shown by the trainer. The excursion operators took pictures and video during our experience and we later bought a set including a video of each of us being pulled and being pushed by the dolphin and pictures of each of us holding him and shaking hands. We managed to get the price down to $240 by waiting several hours before buying - they originally wanted over $100 per person.

After the dolphin swim we still had a few minutes of time there and were taken into a different pen with a manatee. What an ugly creature! He slowly swam by us upside down and we were able to feed him lettuce by putting it into his mouth (at least I assume it was a mouth - it was hard to tell). This was a freebee - it was not on the excursion description at all, and was very interesting and appreciated.

With the rest of the day to spend in Cozumel, some shopped, some walked through the botanical gardens and some did some more snorkeling. I found shopping to be badly overpriced; we were again in the cruise ship docking area and it showed. The same fish bone carving I purchased for $12 in Costa Maya was now $100 and a Coke was $2 - I had not expected those kind of prices in Mexico. The botanical gardens were indeed beautiful and had a myriad of birds and other wildlife everywhere. The snorkelers at Cozumel were not very impressed, the water was very shallow where they went and there was no reef. They did spot a manta ray, however.

While I enjoyed our stop at Cozumel it was because of the dolphin encounter excursion we took. The rest was a nice bonus, but was far too "touristy" for my taste and I decided that I had enjoyed the village of Costa Maya much more. I would go back for the dolphins, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but other than that I was not real impressed.

After docking back in Galveston and going through customs, we had several hours before we had to leave. We had chosen a fairly late air flight home as we really had no idea how long it would take to disembark and clear customs, but had spoken to a nearby motel that agreed to let us stack our luggage there and walk around Galveston for a while before boarding our shuttle van back to the Houston airport. This worked very well for us and we were able to get at least get some kind of feel for Galveston.

All in all it was a very enjoyable vacation for all of us - there was something for everyone. The idea of breaking up for shore excursions really paid off in Roatan as the younger people left us old fogies behind to do their own thing. The only real negatives I found on the whole trip was the incessant demands on board ship that we spend more money there and, of course, the poor weather the first day and that certainly passed by the second day. I intend to repeat the experience one day, and hope to again visit Costa Maya or some other undeveloped area that doesn't cater so much to tourists. Who knows, perhaps a cruise to the Cayman Islands is in my future! Wherever it is, though, I will use a great deal of caution concerning changing itineraries; that could easily have been a disaster.