Better late than never- Sandos resort Playa Del Carmen March 2007

Sandos Resort
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico (South of Cancun)
24 March-31 March 2007

Note: The journal this was original written on was ‘lost’ for about three years and not transcribed until April of 2010. The chances of it being made into a TV movie of the week, or getting me that dream job of resort/vacation critic, however, still remain slim.

- The resort name is Sandos- not Sandals. This was not a typo by me, probably a marketing ploy by the resort.


Day 1, Saturday, 24 March

An early flight, we got up at 3am. We had a 6:15 flight on United to Dulles with a connection to Cancun. It was raining as we left the house. Grabbed some breakfast between fights at Dulles,

The onboard movie was ‘Night at the Museum’. We landed in Cancun about 10:30 am local. The airport was very busy we had to wait about 30 minutes for a gate. (This was before the new runway was built at Cancun). The usual long lines at immigration got our bags and cleared customs.

Once we found our shuttle to the resort we were on our way. The Sandos resort is in a gated resort area about 30 miles south of Cancun. The drive took about an hour. This all inclusive resort was gorgeous. We had asked for a beach front room. This meant we were ‘gold’ status. We could care less about the gold status- we just wanted beach front (ok, the other perks were nice- a private lounge and beach area).

We went to the room. A big ‘wow factor’. Once we opened the door we could see all the way through the marble tiled floor to the ocean. We had a nice balcony that overlooked the beach and palapas. After lunch we went down to the beach and sat in the shade. Then a little pre-dinner nap.

Dinner was a special surprise from Heather and Rich. The had arranged for us to have a private dinner on the beach as an anniversary present. Patti had steak and I had lobster. It was a private decorated patio lit with soft lights with our own personal waiter. A nice romantic dinner watching the cruise ships sail by. After dinner we walked around the resort and went to the lobby. The lobby is nicely decorated huge thatched dome about the size of a small airplane hanger. We checked out the ‘Gold” member’s only lounge. There was a help yourself bar. So we helped ourselves.

We watched about 20 minutes of a show then back to the room. Went to bed about 10:30 we had been up for about 22 hours. A long day, but a great start to the trip.

Day 2, Sunday, 25 March

Slept in till 6:50 (8:50 Ohio time). We had coffee on the balcony then went to the buffet for breakfast. They had very good fresh fruit. After breakfast we went to the beach. It was warm and sunny, but a little windy today. We stretched out in some hammocks and read and relaxed. Afterwards we went to the adults only pool.

Laid out in the pool chairs till the sun got to hat then we moved to the shade. Had a few tropical drinks, chatted with a couple from Chicago, had a few more tropical drinks… you see the pattern here. We were drinking Mai Ties. We had about 4 and they never looked the same. I think the bartenders just poured stuff into a glass and passed it out. Well, they all went down easy.

I did see a 3 foot iguana walking next to the pool. Yes, he was real (not a figment of my tropical drinks). After about an hour and a half we went back to the room.

We had a buffet lunch on a veranda. The birds are colorful and quit precocious. If you left your table unattended and had fruit, you could kiss it goodbye… a high-speed jet like bird strike and the fruit was up up and away.



Day 3, Monday, 26 March

Another ‘boring’ start to the day, coffee on the balcony watching the waves and the palm trees sway. After breakfast we headed to our beach palapas in the shade for a morning of intense relaxation.

Later a buffet lunch and we tried out the family pool. Too crowded and too many kids so we went to the adult pool.

We made dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant the ‘Aztec’. The food was ok. Patti had chicken fajitas and I had tequila grilled shrimp. The dessert was very good it was ice cream in a sugary tortilla drizzled with a strawberry sauce. After dinner we went to the Gold lounge and watched some TV.

After that, we sat in the courtyard and listened to a mariachi band.

Day 4, Tuesday, 27 March

After breakfast we went to our favorite spot on the beach. Patti got a Swedish massage by a Mexican lady. It was an hour long massage and she got worked over pretty good. 70 dollars and it got rid of some arm pain she had been having.

After lunch we went to the lunge for a couple of drinks and a little TV. We chatted with a guy from Canada for a bit then back to the room for a vacation nap. We had a late dinner reservation at the Italian restaurant (9pm). The Italian restaurant was very good. We started with a pre-dinner drink of Champagne with a lime sherbet ball in it- tasty. Actually we had about three each. I could go on and on about the food. The entrees were fantastic only to be topped by desert. Patti had a chocolate cake she said was very good and I had one of my best deserts ever. It was a chocolate covered pear with a pistachio sauce. (Transcribing this down 3 years later… my mouth still waters). Patti and I joked we would come back the next night if just for champagne and dessert.

The show that night was ‘Macho Mexican’ night. They had guests dressed like Mexican bandits. I am sure this would have been deemed racist if done in the States.

Day 5, Wednesday 28 March

We had room service for breakfast. It showed up 15 minutes late. But I guess we are on vacation time. We had cereal, fruit, and sweet rolls. After breakfast we went for a walk up the beach. Sandos is the southern most resort in the gated area of play Del Carmen. We enjoyed the unspoiled beach as we walked along and took some pics.

After the beach walk we though we would jump into the pool just for a second to cool off. Three hours and 4 strawberry daiquiris later we were still there. After a while I started asking for extra shots of Jamaican Appleton rum in the drinks. Drinking doubles and feeling good.

Disclaimer: To any of our Grandkids who may eventually read this- Your Grandmother and I do not endorse any over indulgence in vacation drinking. (unless of course you are over 21, not driving, and buying a round for Grandpa and Grandma too.)

At about 5 pm the beach starts to clear out as it becomes totally shaded. Patti saw a critter she thought was a giant rat. I think it was a Coati. But close enough to a rat for Patti. Hung out in the court yard before dinner and watched a few downpours of rain. steak and peel and eat shrimp that night in the buffet. They probably lost money on me that night.


Day 6, Thursday, 29 March

We spent most of the day on the beach reading, relaxing, having a drink now and then. Every once in a while I went down and jumped into the ocean for a few minutes to cool off.

We went to our spot in the plaza and sat in the shade for a while before heading back to the room. We had dinner at the buffet and checked out the pics in the photo shop. Earlier that week Patti and I had our picture taken holding a couple of parrots named Chocolate and Elmo. We liked the picture and bought it.

Day 7 Friday, 30 March

Our last full day. Always a sad thing.

Unfortunately Patti was sick and we hung out in the room. You should have seen me asking for Imodium from a gift shop clerk. It must have looked like that Pepto Bismol commercial-- hands on stomach, hands on…


Day 8 Saturday, 31 March

Going home. Fortunately Patti’s 24 hour bug had eased up. We checked out of the hotel reluctantly letting them remove our gold arm bands. Patti and I where sharing a shuttle ride with a young guy from NY City. We had barely cleared the resort when our driver got in an accident. He had been playing bumper cars with another taxi. They had literally been side swiping each other. Yes, trading paint and mirrors too. Finally we were pulling over. We were not real happy. It was a stupid thing to do and we had flights to catch.

The driver said he had called for another car. About 15 minutes later a white stretch limo pulled up. It was for Patti, me and our new adopted son from NY City. It was a nice ride. Full bar, lounge. He pulled up to the arrival area at the airport and jumped out to open the door. We were being stared at. I told one tourist who was gawking that (the kid with us) was just back from American Idol. I think she may have believed me.

Long lines to check in. We had lost our ‘son’ for a while. When he returned the lines were even longer and he was heading for the back of the line. Patti saw him and called out, “Son we are over here.” and had him cut into line with us.

Our flight to Dulles was delayed. We got to Dulles late and missed the last flight to Dayton. I assumed US Air would put us in a hotel. I assumed wrong. The best they would do was to get us a discounted rate. We were booked onto a flight for the next morning. Got to the hotel, ordered a pizza then got some sleep.

Day 9, Sunday, 1 April

Were we supposed to be home yesterday? April fools…

Landed in Dayton Sunday morning and picked up the car. Instead of driving home, we drove to my place of work about 45 miles north of Dayton. Patti helped me clean out my office. I emailed a letter of resignation to my boss and the plant manager. This was not an April fools joke. I had already accepted a new job only 2 miles from home. More money, less driving, and a better career opportunity. If I had given notice they would have terminated me, so I terminated them instead.

Later that morning- finally home!

Carnival Victory Cruise 7-14 March 2010

Carnival Victory
7-14 March 2010

Sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico to St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.


Day 1
3/7/10. Sunday. Traveling to the ship: San Juan, Puerto Rico.

We left the house at 3:45 for an early flight out of Dayton. Flew AirTran to Atlanta (thanks Jason for the ride). We were offered a cheap upgrade to business class which included no charge for baggage. We enjoyed the extra leg room and free drinks. In Atlanta we had a 2 hour layover, grabbed some breakfast and then connected for the flight to San Juan. No business class for the 3 hour flight. Sigh.

We arrived in San Juan about 20 minutes early at 1:40 pm. It had been raining, but at least it wasn’t snow. Got our bags and looked for a porter. I had read a tip online that a porter will take you to the front of the taxi line. This is true. He walked us to a cab ahead of about 50 people who were already waiting. I felt guilty for about 3 minutes. Ok, maybe 2. Best 5 dollar tip I ever gave. The taxi ride was $19 plus a dollar a bag. It is priced by zones so no price issues with the drivers.

We were dropped off at the end of the pier. I turned our bags over to another porter with a 3 dollar tip and the bags showed up in our Cabin 2 hours later. Easy enough. We checked in at the VIP lounge. Thanks to a call from the cheap up-sell fairy we were able to get a Cat 12 Grand Suite (formerly called Penthouse) for a really, really, really inexpensive price. It should have cost 1200 for the upgrade but we got it for only 400 more than what we had originally booked. I am sure we will be back to our regular Cat 8 balcony next cruise. But for this cruise we got to try it out.

It only took about 10 minutes to check in and then with sail and sign cards in hand we were on the ship. This was our second time on the Victory. Our very first cruise had been on this ship. We went to check out the room and we were pleased with the upgrade. Comparing this room (cabin 7306) with a regular balcony room: About double the square footage of both the suite and balcony. A sitting area, bar, vanity, dressing room, extra storage closet, a larger bathroom (full size with a spa tub).

A knock at the door- Ron and Nang had got on board a few minutes before us. They had an interior room across the hall. We toured each others room then we all went up to Lido for some lunch. Ron took Nang back to the room then toured the ship on his own. Patti and I activated our Sail and Sign card with a few drinks at the Atrium bar. This turned out to be one of our favorite spots to hang out. There was a guy playing guitar and singing Country music. The drinks were far from being weak! Canadian Club and Sprite, but mostly Canadian Club!

Back to the room. Patti read all the room info and figured out all the electronic stuff. I like to unpack. I know that sounds sick but to me it kind of makes the vacation official. It is the realization, “Hey, we are here!.”

We all went to dinner in the Atlantic dining room. The 4 of us were assigned to table 155 but for tonight it was open seating. At the end of dinner they started the muster station drill. Note: I had to gobble down the last 2 bites of my crème brulee. I’m going down with the ship before I miss this desert.

Up to the top deck for sail away. It was still lightly drizzling. Back to the room for some sleep. We had been up since 3am. We are on our way!


Day 2
3/8/10 Monday. St. Thomas.

Woke up docked at the pier in St. Thomas. We had a nice view of the bay from our balcony. We had coffee and it drizzled for a few minute. That was the end of any rain for the rest of the trip. I had ran into Ron and Nang on Lido deck when I went for coffee. About 30 minutes later they showed up with breakfast. Room service!! A very nice thing to do. I did offer to tip.

After breakfast we decided to walk to the shops in the port area. Ron ended up with a cowboy-ish hat with shells. His new vacation hat he called it. I bought Jamaican style hat with the fake dreadlocks. I had to have it. A few more shirts- Patti got a nice shirt that said “Screw the cracker- Polly wants a cocktail.” Yeah, mon.

Patti and I went to the butterfly farm next to the ship. Not really worth the money. Back to the boat . Cheeseburgers for lunch Aft on Lido deck. Pattie impressed one of the college guys on the ship. He offered her his cabin number. To the best of my knowledge she did not use it. Hung out and hot tubbed some, back to the room at 6pm.

We had our first dinner at our assigned table. The food was good, always lots of choices. Patti tried the Chocolate melting cake for desert. I had to sneak a bite. Good, but rich.

Day 3
3/9/10 Tuesday. Dominica

Woke up to blue skies, warm and humid. Had breakfast on the balcony as we sailed along the coast of Dominica to the port. Ron and Nang sat with us as we watched the mad dash for those wanting to get off the ship first. We all reviewed shore excursions and booked a few for later in the week. We used the remote and did it on our room TV. I have never understood why people stand in line at the excursion desk. The tickets were delivered to our room later that night.

We walked off the ship and hit some vendor stands. We did not take any tours but if you want an island tour the taxi drivers will do a custom tour for you at 20 dollars a person for 2 hours. Not bad in my opinion. I tried a local beer which was very good and Patti had an icy locally made fruit soda, also very good.

Back to the ship for lunch at the Mediterranean buffet. Patti and I went to the aft pool- the water felt great. As I write this I am reading on the balcony as Patti takes a nap. There is a guy down on the pier playing steel drums. I am sometimes asked what my favorite thing about cruising are. My answer- doing nothing. Sitting and reading or watching the islands/ocean. The port here in Dominica is typical of the Caribbean- multicolored buildings. One building is painted a combination of fuchsia, orange, lime green and pink, and red. The people here are very polite, not overly pushy. We even had several vendors thank us for visiting their island.

Tonight is formal night. Ron and I wore Tuxs. Patti wore a red dress she had custom made in China. It arrived just days in time for the cruise. Nang wore a Thai style dress. We all looked pretty snappy. We had pics taken then played slots before dinner. At dinner I did explain to Ron that he need not not be shy about asking for 2 lobster tails.

Day 4
3/10/10 Barbados

Breakfast on the balcony then off to the photo department to check on our pictures taken so far. We found a few we really like but we will save our final selections for later in the week.

Our Timini Catamaran Turtle excursion left at noon. We took a 3 minute shuttle ride to the dock. The trip was 4 hours long and lots of fun. They raise the sails after leaving the port and we were under way. For now, we were sipping nonalcoholic punch. We sailed along the coast to a cove frequented by sea turtles. One crew member was in the water with fish to hand feed the turtles. It really brought them in. We put on vests, masks, and snorkels and went in too. There were about 15 turtles in our area. Very close, bumped my foot even. I had an underwater camera and took some pics. They did not come out great but they are ok. It was cool being that close to them.

After the turtle swim the bar was open. Rum punch! As we had the punch we went to another cove to use the beach. This was the location where Tiger Woods got married. The boat Captain said, “This is where Tigers troubles all began.” The rooms there went for $7,000 a night, 2 week minimum. We did not spend the night. They were supposed to beach the boat and let us walk off, but they did not. They stopped in 12 feet of water. Patti does not swim so this meant that she would not be able to get to the beach.

We were going to stay on board but she decided to give it a try with my help and a life vest. Brave lady. As we were getting into the water the crew saw me trying to help her. They had one of the crew use a flotation device to tow her in. She was able to hold on to the handles. (This got them a good tip). We walked up the beach a bit and sat in the sand. Meanwhile the crew had brought some punch off the boat. Ron and Nang were parting in the water with crew and fellow tourists. They gave Patti a tow back to the boat and we were heading back to the Victory.

This was a leisurely trip back- rum punch, a little more rum punch… etc. By the time we got back and close to the ship we were doing a conga line around the catamaran. The party was in full force. A little more rum punch then, sigh, we were back to the deck. It was a fun excursion and I highly recommend it.

A few cheeseburgers for a late lunch then we just chilled for the rest of the day. Chilling and relaxing being 2 of my favorite vacation things to do.

Day 5
3/11/10 St. Lucia

Another beautiful day. We had room service set for 7:30 am. We had booked a tour through the internet for an island tour of St. Lucia. I had read about Cosol Tours on the Cruise Critic web site. It was 65 dollars a person for a 7 hour tour. Far cheaper, and with more to see than anything offered through the ship. The boat docked at 8am and we did have to fight the lines this morning getting off the ship. No big deal, it is expected for early tours. Our tour was leaving at 8:30 am. We met Cosol at the pier and our group of about 50 divided up into 6 tour vans. Ours had a total of 9, a family of 5 plus Ron, Nang, Patti and me.

One of the vans carried a few coolers with an assortment of drinks. Yes, beer and rum punch too. Note: the local beer ‘Piton’ was quite good. We left the port in the town of Casteraries and headed out. We stopped at a banana plantation for a talk on how bananas are grown. For you trivia experts- bananas do not grow on trees they are actually considered plants. The bananas we were given to eat were much sweeter than any I have had in the States. Bananas are the island's only commercial crop and a ship load leaves for England every week.

After that, on to a breakfast stop. About 6 tables were set up with local foods. Ron and Nang missed most of it because of long lines at the bathrooms. The only item that I did not care for was the fish puff. Still drinking the local beer ‘Piton’. We came to a scenic overlook of the Piton mountains. Note: The beer was named after the mountains, the mountains were not named after the beer (although…).

On to a drive-in Volcano. It was an active caldera with sulfur fumes. It is advertised as the world’s only drive in volcano. Well, Yellowstone is a caldera and we drove into it years ago. But anyway…

Back to the beach and we took water taxis (boats) to a beach between the Pitons. The beach was small with an expensive resort behind it. We were told this is where Oprah comes for vacations. We waved towards the hotel. She did not wave back. Ron and I snorkeled for about 30 minutes than Patti and I walked out into the water. We were supposed to be there an hour but it was 90 minutes before we got back.

The vans loaded up on the beach and then it was a stop at a waterfall. Patti liked it a lot and wished we had more time there. She walked out into the waterfall and I got a few pics of her. After our 10 minute stop there, the driver stopped at a restaurant for some local cheese. A few minutes later he stopped at a local village and picked up some hot bread- fresh out of the oven. So we had fresh bread and cheese for lunch.

We saw the bay where the Eddy Murphy ‘Dr. Doolittle” movie was filmed. Back to the boat and we were done. This was an all day excursion getting us back to the boat about 30 minutes before sail away.

Tonight was the 2nd formal night. They had baked Alaska for desert which we have not had on a cruise since out first cruise (also on the Victory 8 years ago.)

Day 6
3/12/10 St. Kitts

We had booked a scenic railway tour through the ship. It did not leave till 10 am so we went to the Pacific dining room for a sit down breakfast. Service and food were very slow. It took almost 40 minutes to get our food. We ate what we could in 5 minutes and then left for our tour. We were flying to get off that boat. We managed to go the length of the ship and down the pier to the van in about 10 minutes. We did make it on time.

We had about 12 in our van as we did a 45 minute scenic and narrated drive up the coast. We were meeting the train at the end and taking it back. Patti and I sat top side for most of the trip and Ron and Nang were down below. When it started to rain Patti and I went below and Ron was on top. He always was backwards!!

The St Kitts Scenic Railway is a narrow gauge train with an engine, support car, and 4 passenger cars. We were in the last car. The top area was covered by an awning. As we clackity clacked our way along it was nice to sit back and take in the view. We went through several villages. The tracks boarded a few schools. As the train went by the kids would all run to the windows and wave. We saw many remnants of old sugar mills. The stone chimneys and windmill bases were still there- mostly.

The Atlantic side of the island had lots of waves and breakers as well as a few black sand volcanic beaches. The train ride was an unusual way to see the island and we enjoyed it. The frozen drinks were not bad either.

Back to the ship for lunch . We spent the rest of the day back on the boat.




Day 7
3/13/10 St Maarten

The last day- so sad. Patti and I had been to St. Maarten before so we made this a ship day. We spent the morning visiting with Ron and Nang. Later Ron and Nang went ashore and did some shopping. Patti and I hung out on the pool deck. Reading, using the pool and a dink special of the day. That was activity enough. We went back to the room. Patti took a nap and I met Ron to try out the waterslide. We went down about 3 times and Nang took some pics.

Patti and I stood on the balcony for our final sail away as we left St. Kitts. We then went to check out our pictures and made our final decisions. The last dinner in the dinning room was nice. Our waiters sang to us changing to words… “Your bags are packed your ready to go…”

Sadly, the bags were packed and in the hall by 11 pm for the porters.


Day 8
3/14/10 San Juan and home

The worse part of any cruise is the ‘leaving’ part. Since we had a VIP suite we could have been the first ones off the ship but there was no reason since we had a 4pm flight. We did not see Ron and Nang because they had an early debarkation. Patti and I went to the buffet for breakfast and then hung out till 11 am.

Got a taxi to the Airport and worked our way through the USDA and check in lines. Many people complain about this but it should be expected at any vacation airport on a travel day. It was no worse than Cancun or Montego Bay.

Had lunch at a fast food taco place then went to the gate. We still had 2 ½ hours to go. We finally boarded and were on our way to Atlanta. After landing we called the kids to see how the families were doing. We landed in Dayton about 11:45 PM. Josh and Ashley met us at the Airport for the ride home. THANKS!

Good times, a fun trip. We experienced none, as in zero of the complaints that were a theme in Cruise Critic reviews for a while. No long lines at the buffets, no rude fellow cruisers, no abundance of kids running down the halls- in fact we rarely saw kids. No fights for elevators. This cruise was just as good as all past cruises we have sailed on.

Photos:  My photobucket account has pics of the cabin, ship, and excursions.
http://s303.photobucket.com/albums/nn149/snakedoctor57/

Travel...

"Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience. "

- Francis Bacon Essays (1625) 'Of Travel'

Moon Palace July 2010

Well, it looks we will be joining Heather, Rich and kids for a trip back to Cancun. We are going to be at the Moon Palace 7/2/09 to 7/11/09. We will drive to Cincinnati and catch a direct flight to Cancun. It will be the same flight that Heather and crew connects to on there way from Cleveland.

144 days but who's counting.

Well according to the ticker we have 144 days plus 'x' hours to go. I say 'x' cause the ticker is not correct. It must thnk I live in a different time zone. I don't care enought to try and figure it out.

We have read all the reviews on The Carnival Victory Southern Carribean cruise. They are like all cruise reviews- some love it, some will never cruise again.

My favorite complaint I ever read was one about the pink color of the lights on the Carnival Miracle in the dining Room. SHUT UP! You are on a Cruise Ship... if the color of the lights matter keep your ass home.

Antigua dropped

Well, Carnival dropped Antigua as a port call from the March cruise. Carnival said it was due to ‘operational concerns’ in the email they sent us. I wonder if it was because some Carnival passengers were arrested there recently for a problem they had with a taxi driver.

The port was replaced with St. Maartens. We have been there and it was fine. Maybe we will make this a ‘sea day’ and stay on the ship and enjoy some of the ship board activities.

Cancun- Crown Paradise resort- 2009

Cancun - Crown Paradise Resort.
19-26 Jan 2009


19 Jan 2009 Monday

Barak Obama is inaugurated as President Tuesday. Patti and I leave the country Monday. Coincidence? Possibly.

Got up at 4:15 AM. Dropped the car off at Park and Go. It is getting expensive, maybe we will get a ride from family next time. Flew from Dayton to Philly for our connection to Cancun. Flying again on US Airways. Not my favorite, but there were not any issues this time. We got into Philly a few minutes late because we had to be de-iced prior to departure in Dayton. We hurried to catch a shuttle in Philly. The flight to Cancun was moved to another gate. They downsized the plan and we took off about 30 minutes late. Both us, and the bags made the flight. The plane was not full so Patti and I were able to stretch out over 3 seats.

We had to pay the new baggage fee on the way down (but for some reason, not on the way back). No more movies- they removed the equipment to make the planes lighter. I did buy a snack box on the flight- (5 dollars) and it did have lots of stuff in it.

We landed only a few minutes past scheduled arrival time. It took about 25 minutes to get through immigration. We found our bags right away and cleared customs. We had a “concierge” shuttle to the hotel which was a nice surprise. Rode in a GMC Yukon. No stops-- right to the hotel. It only took about 15 minutes to get there.

Our travel agent had got us a Crown Club package. This put us in an upgraded building and room. The room was great- Jacuzzi, balcony great view. We also had express private check in. We were on the top floor (the 8th) and just a few doors down from the Crown Club members lounge. Sounds kind of snobby, but it was included in the package. We had Champaign and a plate of fresh fruit waiting for us in the room. The room had a mini fridge that had water, soda, and beer and it was refreshed daily.

We ordered some room service for lunch/dinner. I had shrimp salad in an avocado half that was pretty good. We were tired from the traveling and called it a day.

20 Jan Tuesday

We had breakfast in the Crown Club Lounge. Food is ok, fantastic view. The wall facing the ocean is completely glassed. We went and walked around the resort to check the place out. The time share sales people are aggressive, but back off when told no.

Our package included a lagoon cruise. We met the bus at 11:30 am and 10 minutes later we were at the marina. This was a party/drinking trip not a scenic cruise (surprise!) As soon as we boarded drinks were flowing. The entertainment staff from the hotel was hosting the trip. There were no kids on the cruise and they really cut loose. We had about 20 couples on the boat. They were playing music trivia. Get the question wrong-- a squirt of tequila into your mouth, not clapping enough- shot of tequila, not smiling… well you get the picture. Tequila was the operative word.

They were giving out points for right answers to go towards a t-shirt. The big question was at the end. The played a few bars of the Village People- “YMCA”. I was to slow and did not make it to the chair. A guy beat me, but was not ready for the question. It was: Name all 5 characters in the Village People. He could only name 2- the Cop and construction worker. I ran up and said cop, constructions worker, cowboy, Indian and… and… I forgot. At the last second I remembered- the Sailor!! Not bad after 2 hours of beer and tequila huh? Yeah, I got my shirt.

Lunch was included on the cruise. The party came to a break and we all went downstairs to the dining lounge. Had some tasty chicken and shrimp. Back to the resort at 3pm for a vacation nap.



21 Jan Wed

Patti has spent the first part of the vacation with a chest cold that is making it hard for her to breath. We went to the breakfast buffet in the main restaurant. The food is OK, average at best. We are not picky, just being honest as compared to other places we have been.

Got chairs by the pool. Temps in the upper 70’s cool for Cancun but warmer than Ohio! For lunch I got some Japanese take out from a place they have pool side. Patti had a cheeseburger. We had read reviews prior to coming and knew to bring our own large glasses. They poor drinks into little 8oz cups. But if you have your own cup they will fill it up. 8 oz of Corona or 16 oz? Do the math… ha!

Went back to the room. I read on the balcony. Patti took a nap. The walking and stairs have been tough on her breathing with the congestion. Got dressed for dinner and went to the Members only lounge for some pre-dinner drinks.

Dinner was at the Mexican restaurant ‘Los Gallos’. It was a disappointment. Poor quality food and extremely uncomfortable chairs. We were in and out quick. I always try the local stuff. Note: pass on the cactus salad.




22 Jan Thursday

Patti had a rough morning and slept in while I read on the balcony. Went down and brought some plates from the buffet for lunch. We went for a walk in the early evening and checked out the other side of the resort.

It is definitely a little more worn then our building. Some rusty chairs and hand rails. We saw the adults only pool and hot tubs. Tried to get back to the main floor but the elevator was constantly full to the max. Tried taking some stairs and ended up getting lost in a maintenance area. Eventually we got back to the main lobby. We stopped in the bar for a few drinks.

Buffet for dinner.



23 Jan Friday

We had breakfast on the balcony from the members lounge. We went down to the pool and hung out. I got into the water but the pool was chilly! Cheeseburger and wings from the pool grill- very tasty.

Later in the afternoon we went down to the beach. It was not far, down some steps and onto the sand. The beach is not large. The water temp was n the low 80s, much better than the pool. I went out and played in it for a bit. There were some large waves which made it fun. Sitting there with sand on my toes looking out at a turquoise blue ocean was not a bad way to be spending the afternoon.

Went back to the room and took a shower then had coffee with the balcony door open enjoying the breeze. It was very relaxing.

We went to the Italian restaurant for dinner. The best dinner so far. Patti had lasagna and I had scallops. They also had a very good creamed spinach soup. We went back to the room around 10 pm and watched a movie on TV. We had CNN, a few generic English channels and the major network TV shows relayed from Miami.

24 Jan Sat

Got up and had coffee on the balcony. Every day it has been getting warmer and warmer. With just 2 days left I would say we are finally back to normal temps in the mid 80’s. The regular pool was crowded- no chairs, so we went to the indoor pool area and sat and read. The sun got hot and we had to move to some shade. We played a round of put-put golf then went to the main Lobby bar.

Our bartender was Jamie (Hymie), the J pronounce liked an H. He was very good. He wanted to learn our names. He got close with trying to say Patti- he ended up calling her ‘Party’. As hard as he tried he could not pronounce ‘Dan’. He would say, Stan, Sam but not Dan. I finally told him to call me ‘Julio’. He thought that was hysterical and introduced us to the other bartender as ‘Party and Julio.’

Got a late lunch from the buffet. Then another vacation nap.

We went to “Wayne’s Boots” for dinner. It is a restaurant at the resort decorated to look like an old west salon and had pics of John Wayne on the wall. It was even better than the Italian the night before. I had a BBQ Rib loin and Patti had steak. Baked potatoes and corn on the cob as sides. Great service and good food.


25 Jan Sun

Last full day. Got breakfast from the Crown Club lounge and ate on the balcony. Hung out for a while staying on the balcony it is a beautiful day. We went to the lobby bar. Jamie took care of “Julio and Party” again. A few cervezas and margaritas then we ate lunch at the buffet. The food was better today then it had been. There is an Asian food station- you pick your ingredients and they stir fry them together for you.

Went to the pool and got a couple of chairs overlooking the ocean. Stayed there for about an hour then went back to the room. I had to meet our travel Rep at 4:00 pm to confirm our shuttle to the airport for tomorrow. We were scheduled for an 8:50 am departure from the resort.

Later that afternoon we went and did some shopping. We got some shot glasses and a couple of T-shirts. Not bad prices- only $16 for a long sleeve T shirt. We fixed up a couple of plates in the buffet and took them back up to the room for dinner. Then, sadly, it was time to pack.



26 Jan Monday.

Had room service for breakfast. Took a last look at the ocean from the balcony. Leaving is always so sad!! Did the final few minutes of packing and left the room. We checked out at the main lobby and waited for our ride to the airport. No semi-private ride this time. We were packed into a van.

Check in was very quick. We had some time to kill so we hit a gift shop, I needed another book. We went to the ‘Air Margarita restaurant’ It is a knock-off of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurants. We had some fresh table side made guacamole and a soda. The plane left on time. We had a 3 ½ flight back to Philadelphia. Immigrations and customs went quick. Got the bags (yeah, US Airways always makes me nervous).

We took the bus shuttle over to the other side of the airport. We landed at about 4:30 PM. We had a long layover, our flight to Dayton did not leave till 8:30 pm. When we got to Concourse F there was a food court. We got something to eat and checked in with all the kids with my cell phone.

The flight to Dayton was on time. By the time we got to baggage claim, our bags were ready. Took the shuttle to the Park and Go and got the Mustang and headed home. Temp when we left Cancun about 80. Temp when we got home about 22. We walked in the door about 11:00 PM.

Two days later we got 9 inches of snow. I am ready to go back to Cancun

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes: How would I rate the resort? First I think to be fair, I have to rate it in context. It was a very good value. It was the least expensive resort trip we have taken so far. Not as good as the rest, but ok for the price. It helped that we had a “Crown Club” room with Jacuzzi and the members lounge down the hall with private dining room and lounge.

So not up to 4 or 5 stars, but again we did not pay those prices.

Room- 4 stars. Great view, Jacuzzi tub.
Food-
Mexican rest. 2 stars, bad food, and uncomfortable chairs
Italian Rest- 4 stars
Wayne’s boots (steak house) 4.5 stars. Good food and service
Main Buffet- 3 stars. Limited variety
Room service- 3 stars
Japanese- (lunch take out) 4 stars
Pool side grill- 3.5 stars
Bars- 3.5 stars (Jamie at the Lobby bar, 5 stars)
Resort appearance- 3.5 stars
Staff- 4 stars
Entertainment-
Pool side- 2 stars
Lagoon Cruise- 5 stars
Nightly shows- did not go.
Beach- 3 stars, small area

The weather was unusually cool the first few days.

The room safe was with a key, I would have preferred an electronic swipe card.