CMDTA on Vacation – Final Thoughts

After taking some time to think over my experiences on my NCL vacation what made the grade and what didn’t?

Rotan – I’d go back. The port of call itself was nice and worth visiting again. I felt safe the whole time and the people were nice.

Belize – I’ve been here twice and I go back again. Both times were fun.

Costa Maya – If there were a lot of other stops on the cruise I wouldn’t mind stopping here again. It was a nice laid back day.

Great Stirrup Cay – Well considering I’d have to cruise NCL again to stop here my answer is simple. I will never, ever, go back here.

Jet Blue – Despite the incident with the ants and the fact their people arrived at the airport later than other airlines, I’d use them again.

NCL – I was trying to think of a good simple way to explain how much of a disappointment NCL is. I think the best way to put it is this: If the cruise was free, the airfare was free, and we had onboard credit, I would not cruise NCL again. It would not be worth taking the time off of work. I can use that time for something better, like staying home. That isn’t to say I’d never try them again. If they dropped the “Freestyle” thing, abandoned the premium dining locations, greatly improved their food, stopped allowing smoking in their staterooms, reviewed and adjusted how they tender people, made their ships more attractive on the inside, and repainted their ships to get rid of the awful artwork on the outside, I’d consider using them again.

CMDTA on Vacation – Costa Maya

By the time we got to Costa Maya, Mexico we were completely annoyed with NCL and were dreading the thought of another tender. Thankfully Costa Maya had a pier. What a luxury that is. If you ever book a cruise you might want to check what ports have a pier and which don’t. That is a big consideration for me now.

On the downside there isn’t a ton to do at Costa Maya. By the time we got there we were broke too. On the plus side they have a great little port with some shops, free pools, and a number of bars.

After we fought our off the boat and by the photo op, we headed into some of the shops. You can find some decent glass and silver jewelry in Costa Maya. Most stops in Mexico have that kind of selection but Costa Maya has it right at the port. One tip is to walk right by Diamonds International. They are always over priced and they are everywhere. Go find a small shop and avoid gemstone jewelry.

Of course we hit a couple bars. They had frozen drinks by the yard. That’s great but they do tend to reduce the amount of booze they use if you order in that kind of quantity.

There was one thing I found in Costa Maya that I really want to find in the States. It’s called Sol. It’s a beer like corona but it comes in a bottle the size of your head. It’s huge. It’s about the size of three beers. It wasn’t a 40oz so I didn’t feel like an alcoholic or a redneck while drinking it.

Over all Costa Maya wasn’t bad but it’s not on the same caliber as many of the other stops. It’s a nice lay over. It’ll only get better with time. It’s still a young stop when compared to many of the other common stops.