What is the Best and/or Worst Cruise Excursion you have ever had?

@ShowMeVegas

2 жыл бұрын

I went on a shore excursion to Chichen Itza from Cancun when I was about 19 years old. Seems like it was about 3.5 hours each way on a charter bus, but it was worth it to say you’ve been there. In those days you could climb the pyramid, so I’ve been to the top! Hard to believe they EVER allowed tourists to climb that thing…

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

@@ShowMeVegas That would be awesome

@Rascott03

Жыл бұрын

I went to Monkeyland in DR & it was awesome!

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

@@Rascott03 Nice will need to keep our eyes out for that

Great job giving us a "real world" experience. We're debating whether or not this is something we want to do, and knowing what to potentially anticipate is extremely helpful. Thanks so much!

@JoshRachael

Ай бұрын

You bet. It’s definitely one you are better off knowing what you are getting into before doing. You may not get a flat tire but in reality that would not have changed much of what we got to do during our day in port

Oh am I glad we did it but even more glad we made it on the ship!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

😓😓

When we visited back in the 90’s we were allowed to climb the steps of the pyramid, and we went right to the top!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Oh man that would be nice. Thanks for sharing Winnie!

Thanks! What a frustrating and scary adventure! That would be my nightmare, missing the ship. I felt the stress just watching the video. 😰😱 That was a mentally exhausting day.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Carol. This day felt off from the start with the unorganized theater to the delayed ferry then the rushed time at the site and of course the flat tire and changing of vans. we honestly felt anxious just rewatching it while putting it together. We are not overly dramatic people so we tried our best to stay positive but this day took its toll on us. No fear though Day 5 will get us right back to having fun!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

OMG Carol I just noticed you donated $10! Thank you so much!!!!

Wow!! I’m glad you made it on the ship!! I like how your dresses and Josh’s shirts match- super cute haha😻

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! Yeah it was quite a stressful and but nerve wracking day for sure, but seeing Chichen Itza was awesome! We figure matching outfits fits well in the cruise scene 😉

I give you both credit for your patience and understanding with this situation. This would have been a bit much for me and that’s why I never go on such long day excursions. Glad you did enjoy the ruins and sites even with all the issues. Italian food looked delicious and Rachel looked amazing in her little daisy dress. Keep up the great work guys! Looking forward to to the rest of the cruise vids!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so so so much! We try to make light and be understanding in situations…this one in particular was a bit nerve wracking! Our day 5 (that’ll be up tomorrow!) brings back the energy! We hope you enjoy the rest of the series! Thanks again!

Awesome video as always. I'm glad I got to see this excursion and what to expect if we venture there. Funny thing is that we were in Cancun around the same time and went to the Tulum ruins, but almost went to the Chichen Itza ruins. When we booked our excursion they said is was like 1 hour away and it ended up being 2 hrs plus away. The cool thing about the Tulum ruins was that we also went to a place where we had lunch, zip lining and swimming in a Cenote. Definitely recommend swimming in a Cenote if you get a chance. But yes in Tulum we had the same weather where is was just crazy hot and humid. Great job as always guys!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Oh man. After seeing the ruins of Chichen Itza on Video would you recommend Tulum? Since it is a shorter distance to travel opening the door for more things? I am sure we will end up in Cozumel again some day so might as well start thinking about it

@shawnbyrne4373

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael So seeing the other style ruins at Tulum and how close it was to the shoreline was pretty cool. We were just like you guys and had a short amount of time there in order to make the other activities. But at the same time I'm like you and couldn't see myself spending a whole lot of time there anyways so it worked out. If ruins are your thing they are worth checking out. I'm not too much into them so I really enjoyed the ziplining, repelling, and Cenote part of the trip. We also had a great lunch there too.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

@@shawnbyrne4373 Nice there is a lot to do for excursions it seems, probably not gonna be back for some time, but will consider that for sure. After seeing the biggest ones though i could see skipping Tulum next time. Thanks Shawn

I love the Ruins but not all the walking it takes to get there lol in Belize I saw them and that was a tough workout! Awesome video thanks for Sharing!

@JoshRachael

4 сағат бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Really enjoy your videos and reviews. One thing that we’re loving is the video/photos of your meals with the comments after. Not a fan of watching people eat while trying to describe their meal. We also trust you two as you tell both the good and bad. We love the Oasis class ships. Our two favorite cruise lines would be Celebrity and Royal Caribbean in that order. Living on the west coast, we were happy to see RCI place the Navigator out here year round. Can’t wait to see the rest of your Symphony OTS adventure. By the way, Jamie’s Italian is great. Try it the next time that you’re on the Navigator. Thanks for sharing.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! We feel the daily vlogs are long enough so we just like to show the food and talk highlights and lowlights since it would be way too long. We hope to match to Celebrity once we hit platinum with RC so it’s good to hear both are your favorite. Thank you so much for the kind words!

Wow what an adventurous day lol. On the bright side at least dinner was good!!! 😉 great job as always....trying to catch up on all these video 😂.

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

There is a lot to catch up on. These daily vlogs can be a bit of a production it seems. Thanks guys.

Wow that highlighted something for me that I never considered I know you guys had the worst luck but sometimes that is what happens thank you love your content

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Yea it was pretty frustrating. Thanks so much Kevin! Don’t worry no hiccups the rest of the trip

Thank u for this video I will be in Cozumel this fall

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Awesome have fun. Are you doing a cruise as well?

@dottiestaxx

Жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael no we'll be flying in but the main thing i want to do is see the pyramid that's why your video was so informative to me

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

@@dottiestaxx Awesome - hope you enjoy, bring snack and water, it's a long ride!

Wow. You handled that stress and frustration very well. Hopefully the rest of your cruise is smooth sailing. 😉

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ann! We are putting Day 5 together now and trust me it goes a lot smoother

Enjoyed your up/down day, loved the temple! Your dinner...yes please!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. The struggle was real for sure so glad we ended on a great meal

Hi. Just came across your channel. I have wanted to go the Chichen Itza for years. I have my first cruise booked for next year. Now im wondering if i should do this one. I was thinking of a big breakfast before. If there isnt time to use the restroom im not sure. The lunch part is what I was wondering about. Good to know they at least gave you something. Thanks for sharing.

@JoshRachael

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and we think you’re looking at it the right way to make sure you have a good time! Blessings and let us know what you think if you decide to go!

Thanks for this! I am debating on whether or not to do this tour and this helped.

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Did it help you decide to go or not to go? That’s the question

@philipkay6488

Жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael I'm gonna go for it. I've done reports and projects on the place and read about it since I was a kid, so might as well go for it. Plus, Cozumel is an easy place to get to, but I don't think I will be making any other plans to go back to that area for a while. Knocking off a Wonder of the World would also be a cool achievement. You're comment about it really only needing about 2hrs to explore is what swayed me. Other questions: Can you ditch the tour guide and hit the spots on your own though? I'm hoping to get some pictures of the place without being in the middle of a group of people or feeling like I'm a straggler for hanging back to get pics. Also, did they mention anything about being able to stop by/explore the cenote there? Or was that pulled because of the short time there?

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Nice! We felt the same that it would be worth seeing a Wonder of the World. I think there is a different one that does the cenote but ours never planned on it. I think it would be hard to sneak away too much they really heard you thru and I don’t think I would want to get lost from the group

@philipkay6488

Жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael Gotcha, thanks for the information! Did y'all go to any of the ones in Costa Maya? That's my next decision....

Ummm so this literally looked like torture to me! You guys are so calm, cool and collective as always. Can’t wait to see what else is in store.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Haha we felt stress putting it together. Oh my gosh it was a draining day, we were only calm on the outside I swear 😂 😬 😳

Thanks again for another brilliant vlog although things could’ve ended up going pear shaped if you would have missed the boat you must have been fearing the worst . I’m glad you liked Jamie’s Italian i don’t know if you are aware but Jamie’s Italian is a U.K. restaurant chain started by Jamie Oliver it went into liquidation in 2019 and all the restaurants shut in the U.K. including the one in my local city of Glasgow in Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 i was absolutely shocked to see that the restaurant chain is still going in some shape or form and I’m glad you rated it so highly as it used to be one of my favourite’s as well before the chain sadly closed it’s doors in 2019 . Anyway enjoying your vlogs as always and i look forward to more in the coming days , take care

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for the background on the restaurant. I had remembered him having a TV show but honesty didn’t know about the chain. We really enjoyed the lunch and dinner during our trip. Thank you for watching!

Thank you for the honest review. It looks amazing, but I’ll probably opt for the shortest excursion.

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Definitely a bucket list type excursion, where only if it’s on your bucket list should you go thru the trouble to get there. Glad we did it, glad we don’t have to go thru the traveling to do it again. Thanks for watching

Thank you. We are heading that way in a few.

@JoshRachael

9 ай бұрын

Awesome have fun!

Cool video

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

WOW ALL THAT FOOD REALLY LOOKS SO DELICIOUS 😋. LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD A GREAT TIME. THANKS FOR SHARING, KEEP UP THE INCREDIBLE WORK 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

The food was great. Royal seems to know what it’s doing at the Italian spots. We have liked both Giovanni’s Table and Jamie’s Italian now. Thanks for watching Tracey!

Oh wow, central park inside the ship, that looks neat and the food looked amazing 🤤

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

We found ourselves there so much. Absolutely loved it, such a peaceful area to get away from the hectic other spots. Have you cruises before Ted? Would you? We are loving them so far

@SleeplessInLasVegas

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael i haven't, yet, mostly because im afraid id get sick. Haha

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

@@SleeplessInLasVegas On the cruise ship itself we almost never felt the water until night 6 when we ate in a restaurant on the 17th floor at the front of the ship. If you ever go try to stick in the middle space if you get sea sick. Lots of people do a patch as well that helps. We are lucky to not have any issues.

At least you have a beautiful video of the pyramid… with men cleaning the steps. Lol!!! You’d think that would be done when visitors aren’t there.

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Right?! Haha still worth it. Thanks for watching. Actually surprised by how many people were there but the ability to get a pic or two without others in the shot.

Back when i visited Chichen Itza you were still able to go up the pyramids, i remember well!....sad that you were not able to. i wonder since when they changed that....but yeah, its like 18-20 years ago when i visited last time

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Wow I am sure that was amazing. I don’t remember when the tour guide told us that they stopped allowing people to climb them, we certainly would have gone to the top of allowed

@floid81

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael back then, there was a Rope in the middle of the stairs, to hold on to since it is crazy steep on these stairs. yeah , i am sure you would have haha, but then maybe you would have missed your cruise ;-)

Thank you for the review. I was excited to take my kiddo to the pyramids since I went in my twenties. However, now I will plan to do this excursion when we stay at a resort and not on a cruise...like I did back in the day.

@JoshRachael

5 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful! yea it is a tough to do on a cruise excursion

We learned not to book a ruins excursion because of the distance and heat. We learned not to book a balcony overlooking the Aqua Theater Area due to noise. We learned not to book an excursion to close to our specialty dining reservation. Sometimes you need to live through it to evaluate it for yourself. You both are so positive and upbeat. Making lemonade after paying a lot of money is just not our thing. We suggest that you ask other cruisers on cruise critic or another cruise social media group for recommendations in the future. Jamie looks great. How was the Arancini?

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Haha so true lots of lived experiences in this one. We really enjoyed Jamies, honestly forgot to mention the dessert even and it was great. The Arancini was good but not a highlight, honestly after the excursion we were so hungry probably anything would taste good. This was one of those where we knew it was gonna be a struggle but wanted to see Chichen Itza that much - and also why we did minimal excursions on the other days to allow for more rest and relaxation type ports. Glad we did it, would never do it again.

Felt for you guys there. Definitely a benefit of booking trips through the cruise knowing they ‘shouldn’t’ leave without you. You both looked so tired at the end

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Neil, it was probably one of the roughest travel days we have had before. So glad our dinner helped us end well at leadt

You look as wonderful as ever. Loved the pyramid, but not route to get there. 😢

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Right?! Worth the view, but dang it was a long day! Thank you 😊

I was wondering about day 3!

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Guessing you saw later where we discuss why we skipped day 3. Both days 3 and 7 were Sea Days and had a mission that crossed over so we felt it went better together. Should have the final two vlogs out within the next 8 days for you 😊

Cruise excursions are always a gamble. At least they waited for you guys.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

For sure. Glad we saw it, glad we’re done. Thanks for watching!

Hi there - I am trying to book this excursion with my mom and getting really bad info from Royal Caribbean about how aggressive the outing is. My mom needs to take a 2 min break every 20 mins or so and I am wondering whether we would get separated from the tour if we did that. Is it even allowed? Did you see any older people on the excursion doing this? Thanks!!

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

It wasn’t a hard walk or uneven terrain, but it was rushed for sure. And the ruins are HUGE! If you were to get separated, it may be difficult to find the group. Another concerning aspect would be the long, and I mean long, ride to the ruins without any stops. If you can manage, seeing them is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity! And no matter what, book through RC and not a 3rd party!

@ajitdodani

Жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael thank you! This was super helpful!

great video. How was ferry ride ? heard you say it was hot so no A/C? last ferry we were on there it was open air not closed and still rocked big time, guess since it was closed surprised no A/C and still rocking up/down you would think they would put stablizers. I can see I'd be stressed out to but if booking thru royal we can be assured they'll wait.

@JoshRachael

7 ай бұрын

there is ac but not like cold AC...So its like high 70s but add that with the movement made it not the best of ferry rides

@kathleencraig3804

7 ай бұрын

thanks for heads up. we are going on that ferry ...rccl ...nov 2023 hope we don't run into any problems. can't wait til we see the ruins. so do you reccommend this excursion? @@JoshRachael

@JoshRachael

7 ай бұрын

For us the key is how much you want to see the ruins. If you are on the fence the effort to get there is a lot since it takes up your full day via cruise, but if you are like us - unsure if we will ever return it was totally worth it to say we saw it, get our pictures, and move on to the next port. @@kathleencraig3804

@kathleencraig3804

7 ай бұрын

oooh question: when we signed up from ship excursion it said no backpacks, large purses , video/cell phone if you take pictures they charge you $5 ..is that true? what happens if I have my phone inside waist pack how do they know so no backpacks? @@JoshRachael

@JoshRachael

7 ай бұрын

We did not pay anything extra for filming with our phones but we were prepared to if asked. I think phones seem small enough for them not to worry much about. We did not take any bags but we also were able to keep some stuff on the bus @@kathleencraig3804

We visited ‘Chicken Pizza’ too! Except we sailed out of NOLA on Carnival and ported at Yucatán (Progreso). All we remember is that is was hotter than a mutha and sweated from all kinds of weird places. 🔥. Checked off the must see places, but probably won’t be going back.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Haha we were calling it Chicken Pizza for 6 months! How long was the bus/van ride from that port? I don't know why the heat was so intense but good lord it was rough. Like you, we were thrilled to have done it, but would never do it again.

Chichen Itza, wow, what a grand place. Though it's amazing, I would pass. Way too much travel time and stressful. I've been there...I googled it! 🤣 No need to visit it now.😉👍

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Haha as thankful I am I got to see it, I would not do the trek again. Little too much for both of us. Thanks so much Coco!

Thank you for this review. I booked this tour and will be there next week. I read in my reservation that if you take video in any format will be charged by the government. Dis you guys pay?

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Awesome hope you enjoy it. We did not pay. We only filmed on our phones, a lot of times places are places are ok with phones but not “professional “ cameras

Yes, the traffic in CANUN is horrible! Traffic just seems to stop for no reason-it didnt help with ur flat tire. We went to Xcaret Park and a sailing boat over to Isla Mujeres (the best excursion!) and saw Cirque du Soleil JOYA. This wasn't a cruise...we just went to Cancun for a week (in March 2022) and some places we went.

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

Nice we will need to check them out next time we go. Any tips on staying on Cozumel?

@tome2266

Жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael I was just there for the hours of us being at port from a cruise. About 8 hours. I know a great Margarita place though! I'll send to u the info on IG

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

@@tome2266 Sounds good, we will be back there in May!

thanks for video.cruise ship needs to extend time in port or not sell that tour.I want to go there via a cruise but that just looks to stressful and too little time in a unesco site.

@JoshRachael

10 ай бұрын

I can understand that, I’m sure there is definitely some logistics to just extending time in port though as well. We were glad to show that while you can do it, it is not the ideal method at least from our experience

Do you have to go on that ferry to get to Cozumel?

@JoshRachael

Жыл бұрын

No - the cruise ship actually ports in Cozumel. You have to take the ferry to Playa del Carmen where we noticed is where a large majority of excursions left from! Our next time in Cozumel, we plan on just hanging out there & not taking the ferry!

What happened to the day 3 video?

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

We decided to our days 3 and 7 together since both are Sea Days and have a combined mission. It will be our final video. Maybe should label them part 1,2,3 and not days 1,2,3 to help with confusion but hope you understand as the flow made more sense this way

An hour and a half, i definitely would have puked. I was in Hawaii years ago and i got sea sick from a 30 min ride.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Oh man the heat was so bad and it was crowded…it was such a frustrating start and a sign of things to come apparently. Thanks Ted!

way to much stress for me plus i am older and i need a bathroom stop and that would scare me too

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Oh man we got taken back to the stress just putting this one together. So glad we did it, so glad the day is over . Thanks Tracy

So you dont have a restroom break in that long trip?

@JoshRachael

4 ай бұрын

There is one on the boat, but not once we got in the van, did have restrooms at Chichen Itza site

It is a good thing you booked the excursion through the ship. When excursions are booked through the ship, they have to wait for you until you board. If they decide to leave port before you get back, they have to provide transportation and hotels and get you to the next port. All cruiseships will wait for passengers if they have booked excursions through the ship. I was a travel agent and always let my clients know that although you pay a little more for excursions through the ship, they will not leave you. Now if you booked the excursion by yourself, they will not wait. You have to pay to get to the next port.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Joanne, we did think about the fact that they might have to put us up in a hotel, but were still concerned since we didn't have our passports or any of our other belongings with - including our glasses, clothes, etc so it was still concerning for us. This is certainly the reason I have never tried an excursion through a third party, and likely wouldn't on anything this time intensive after this experience. Thank you so much for watching and sharing Joanne!

The stress of getting back to the ship negated the adventure on that particular excursion. Overall, you appear to be enjoying the cruise experience. Our first cruise was delayed because a hurricane destroyed our port of exit. We had to take a bus 3.5 hours to a different port to grab our ship.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

Oh my gosh that is awful, hopefully they stopped for bathroom and food breaks though, unlike this one.

where are you two from?

@JoshRachael

10 ай бұрын

We live in Wyoming

That's a long way to go to hear a clapping bird echo.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

You can buy a jaguar whistle as well 🤔

@TomMindy

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoshRachael A jaguar whistle? I want one....wait. Is that a whistle for calling a real jaguar? or is jaguar a slang term like a cougar? Doesn't matter, it sounds cool and now I want one.

@JoshRachael

2 жыл бұрын

@@TomMindy Haha Im gonna let your imagination run on that one

No way for me to spend 12 hours bus , just stay on cozumel

@JoshRachael

7 ай бұрын

Definitely only worth doing if you really want to see the relics and may not ever come back

Seriously?? This is it? There is nothing to see, just a pile of rocks…

@JoshRachael

10 ай бұрын

Did you expect a bunch of ancient Mayans to be around sacrificing virgins?

@ebonygonzalez842

8 ай бұрын

@@JoshRachael😆😆😆