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carolapplebee

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carolapplebee last won the day on June 11 2017

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About carolapplebee

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  1. Our kids said the same thing. That they dont want to be stuck on a boat for days on in with "OLD PEOPLE". Well were they in for a surprise, and are begging us to come on all of our cruises. They were surprised to see lots of kids their ages, and ended up making a lot of friends who they still talk to on fb till this day. They want to plan a cruise with their family in a few months. Thanks for the great post Sunluva7. Im going to make sure to share this one!
  2. You have to take a cruise! We always book our cruise with our travel agent, who has been our friend for over 15 years now. She always helps us get the best deals, and lets us know when they have the last minute specials. Make sure to get yourself a great travel agent who will take care of you for life. You are certainly in for a treat! Happy Cruising!
  3. One of the best parts of taking a cruise is meeting people from all over. We tend to meet people, and hangout with them the entire cruise. Our last cruise, our favorite person we met had to be Carlos from Cozumel Mexico. We took a Western Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean, and ended up booking a Cozumel excursion away from the cruise line. We were a little nervous, but the best decision we ever made. We found a Custom private Cozumel jeep tour, which was pretty much an all-inclusive shore excursion. Thats where we met our guide Carlos, who was charismatic, fun and really entertaining guide. But he was such a down to earth guy, who always wore a smile on his face. I really wish I was half as genuinely nice and happy as he was. But I guess I would be to, if I got to meet different people from all around the world everyday and lived in paradise. We ended up making a best friend at the end of the day. We found the family tour operation on TripAdvisor, and read some of their reviews and had to do the tour in Cozumel for ourselves. Carlos met us and had the biggest smile youve ever seen. He gave us a hug and said "Lets go have an amazing day". It was completely different than what we were use to. We did a jeep tour the year before, but it was with the cruise line, and it was a caravan tour with 30 other people and 2 guides. I dont think they said one word to our family. Carlos took us over to our private jeep, and asked us if we wanted to drive or relax and allow him to chauffeur us. Our son just turned 16, and was eager to drive so we allowed him. They include a cooler of beer and water in the jeep, so we cracked a beer open and we were off. Carlos was like family the entire day. He would crack jokes, and made sure he took photos of us at the perfect spots with our cellphones. Kids loved the snorkeling, as Carlos would dive down and point out all of the sea creatures. At the end of the day, he even helped us negotiate for discounts on Cozumel souvenirs. The guy gave Carlos commission for us buying stuff at the store, and he gave it right back to us. We of course didnt take it, but how honorable is that. I guess the rule is that the stores have to give the guides money. But he didn't even recommend a shop, we just walked around down town and wondered in a store. At the end of the day we tried to give him a tip, and he wouldnt take it. My kids were chasing him around trying to give it to him. Finally, my husband got to put it in his bag when he wasnt looking. Carlos ended up emailing us, and thanking us for the tip and said it wasn't necessary, but he did appreciate it. I have honestly never met such an amazing, and down to Earth person like Carlos, and I wish everyone we meet on our tours are half as decent as he was. He really inspired our entire family. If you ever wanted to take a tour with Carlos, he works with Cozumel Cruise Excursions .NET So the best character we have met on our cruise, was Carlos from Cozumel.
  4. Just returned from a recent cruise, to the Western Caribbean, and had an amazing time. Our entire family is hooked on cruising. We just took a cruise on the Royal Caribbean, and had an spectacular time. We are already searching for another cruise, but looking at a Carnival Cruise this time. 

    Our favorite stop had to be Cozumel Mexico. We never seen more shades of blue anywhere in the Caribbean Sea. Cozumel Island def stole my heart, and want to do another cruise that stops there. I guess it would be a Western Caribbean Cruise.

    I think the main reason we loved Cozumel so much, was because of the tour we did in Cozumel. The Cozumel tour we took was probably the best excursion we have ever done on a cruise. We did our research on travel pages, such as TripAdvisor and now that were members on cruise crazies, well be on here searching for recommendations as well. But my recommendation for Cozumel, has to be the Custom private Cozumel jeep tour by Cozumel Cruise Excursions NET (CozumelCruiseExcursions.NET) We took a jeep tour in Cozumel before, but it was a caravan tour through the cruise line, which we will never do again. We were a little skeptical booking away from the cruise line, but it was the best decision we ever made. Not only do they provide you with your own private jeep and guide, they throw in cooler of beer and water. The pick you up right from the cruise pier too. We had a really fun and informative guide, named Carlos. He was so down to earth, and full of information about the island. 

    If you go to Cozumel, you have to snorkel or dive. The private Cozumel excursion, included a private snorkel tour at a nice beach club. We did expect much since we were only snorkeling from the shore, but were we wrong. It was a really great location, and we got to see lots of sea life. Our kids loved snorkeling, and since it was a private tour, we got to snorkel a long time. Carlos, recommended that we get a move on if we wanted to do the rest of the things on our list. You get to create your own tour, but they do have a recommended itinerary, which was exactly what we wanted to do anyone. They really do take you to the best places in Cozumel. Its no wonder they were rated as the best Cozumel tour to get the most out of your day in Cozumel. Our next stop was Punta Sur Ecological Park (hope I spelled that right). Theres a lighthouse here, and unfortunately, there is no elevator :laugh:, but the climb is worth it. The view from the top is breathtaking, and you can see along the East Coast of Cozumel, which they call the other side of Cozumel. It was really amazing because Carlos said the east coast was protected, so there arent any houses or resorts, and NO electricity. It was like stepping back in time. Our next stop was the lagoon, where we got to see crocodiles. One of our favorite things about the tour, was the other side of Cozumel. We drove along, and Carlos bulled over on the road and there was just jungle. But little did we know that there was a small path, that took us to the ocean. It wasnt a beach, but beautiful rock formation, and there were blowholes here. Words can not describe the beautiful sights. We would have never known that was there, because its hidden by the jungle. We were the only ones here too. We continued to travel along ocean side, and take in the sights. We stopped at a few more places before having lunch at a nice Beach Restaurant right on the beach. Our last activity in Cozumel was the tequila tour, which turned out to be really nice. We figured it would be a sales pitch, but it was recommended, so we checked it out and we had lots of fun. They give you free shots, and even had some non-alcoholic drinks for the kids. We even had time for some shopping afterwards, and Carlos got us to great deals on Cozumel souvenirs and t-shirts. 

    I promised Carlos and John I would share our experience because they are family run business, and rely on their guests to promote their tours. But we had such an amazing time, and saved so much money, its the least I can do for them. 

    Our second favorite stop on the Western Caribbean has to be Belize. Maybe not as nice as Cozumel, but it is still paradise. We decided to go diving here, which turned out to be lots of fun. I cant remember the dive company, but when I do Ill make sure to put them here because they were really great. It was our kids first time diving, and they were so excited because they have been waiting for years to go. Our dive instructor Mike, was such a great guy. We was very patient with us, as my daughter was having trouble. He helped her calm down and she gained the confidence to move forward with the dive. 

    We are pretty much an all American family who really enjoy taking a nice cruise. We try to take at least 2-3 cruises a year, and always looking for bargains. So if you know of any, hit me up! 

    Keep on cruising cruisers! Much love!

    Carol Applebee :wub:

     

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