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Yes! Really. Go enjoy but get there early to get the best spots. 😉

The ship was in rough shape for sure be we really wanted the itinerary. I would give the ship a 4/10 and the itinerary a 10/10., and the staff 9/10. We see it as a give and take, cruises on the Grandeur are cheaper for a reason.

@@amysturnkeytravel Interesting. I was on the Grandeur a few weeks ago for a 5-night western Caribbean cruise. That is why I called you out on all the negatives. I am not sure where they all came from. Well, I was on after dry dock, so they may have had something to do with it. Anyway, it is an amazing ship and great itinerary. I prefer the smaller ships.

That's great to hear. We've sailed her a few times and usually enjoy it but this time we just happened to notice a lot of negatives. I'm super glad to hear that they may have fixed them after the dry dock. We just try to give honest reviews. When things are great we say they are and when they're not we say that too

Ida you're awesome man! We can't wait to meet with you in Bali one day.

@@amysturnkeytravel I'm keep waiting for you.😁

You're so welcome. We're glad you found the video helpful! We hope you have a great time.

Glad we could help!

Thanks for the compliment. Yea we've found it depends a lot on the ship, but that is a common complaint. If both sides doors are closed, it can help but if one side is open, it makes it miserable. Thanks for pointing that out for other viewers.

That so fun. Where'd you get the pizza at, you gotta share so we can try it next time. We're glad you had a great time 😁

@@amysturnkeytravel Honestly no idea. Chaos with the kids. haha

Lol no problem! We get that for sure.

It's pretty incredible that people would do that, and then post it publicly, but they do. We will have a part 2 coming out soon with even crazier ridiculousness posted publicly getting them banned. We'd love to hear you special permission story sometime

@@amysturnkeytravel it was pretty basic and rather boring, but on one of the first cruises post covid break out of Australia in October 2022 we caught covid and so many ppl had caught it that we couldn’t be moved to the special covid floor so we thankfully got to stay in our room. And because people couldn’t leave their rooms we were sent a letter from guest services that said we could smoke and vape in our room, but to please keep it to the bathroom and definitely NOT on the balconies. I feel bad for people that had a room after a smoker, but then I also feel for anyone who had a room after someone with covid. Over a quarter of the ship was sick by the time we got off, with far more testing positive afterwards. But as I said this was in the first month of cruising returning in Australia, so that was somewhat expected.

Ah, makes sense. Very unique situation. Thanks for sharing!

There are two doors, one on reach side. This makes the door area quieter than the walls which are fairly thin in general. So long story short, not any louder in our experience.

Absolutely, we agree completely. It's a major upgrade to the port. I think if they continue to spend money there, it'll only get better. Especially with the Royal Beach Club coming soon.

That's exciting! August 5th we have a video coming out about the ruins tour! And please watch the 5 scams in Costa Maya video we have up to protect yourself. Have Great trip czcams.com/video/41Uk9hBhWas/video.htmlsi=2Mpi47nfDlQ8fM46

This is true, it is all dependent on the type of policy you get. Amy helps her clients with finding the right policy to meet their needs and getting them with a reputable company that will stand behind their policy.

@@amysturnkeytravel purchased insurance on a flight from Delta via Allianz and their reps told me that I would have to contact Allianz independently for additional coverage and what I purchased via Delta protects Delta. I found out that the insurance that came with my Amex card that I purchased the ticket with covered my hotel and food voucher when my flight was delayed for over 6 hrs from Punta Cana-trip disruption. I’m a travel agent too and an Allianz partner and didn’t know this info…SMH

👋 Hi fellow TA! Yeah, the insurance thing can be tricky and the one on the CC can help a lot. We also let clients know that in many cases when flights are delayed by 3 or more hours the airlines can provide compensation (food vouchers, hotels, and sometimes return flights or refunds, depending on the airline). Seems a lot of people were unaware of that.

@@amysturnkeytravel some passengers with first class tickets like myself weren’t offered an hotel or food voucher. Some had to wait 2 days from Atlanta to get to their final destination. Delta offered me 20k miles for this debacle. I was so mad.

Woah! That is not okay especially when you paid for 1st class. So sorry you had that experience.

You can't smoke anything outside of the designated smoking area due to major fires that have occured. But because federal law still says they're illegal, the cruiseline's ban them currently. It may change when the law changes though.

@@amysturnkeytravel yeah, thats even more ammo for me to never get on one. 😂

Sorry you feel that way 😞. There's always all-inclusive resorts though 😉

That's a fairly accurate summation of the clip 😂. And some great advice is, if you're gonna be dumb, don't film it and post it on social media.

Right?!? Not surprised they claimed it was a joke now, but it definitely didn't seem like it in the video. I would be so mad if I found out that's what happened to a bottle I drank.

I can understand why someone with a prescription thinks it's okay. But, it's still federally a crime and regardless, if the cruiseline forbids something (legal or not) then it is what it is. Obviously, there are plenty of people bringing marijuana on board, but once you get caught, that's on you, not the cruiseline.

We know there's a lot more that goes on. This is just the unintended consequence of social media. You post things and then this happens. Definitely a buzz kill if you're the one getting kicked off and banned.

The smoking one is due to quite a few major fires in the past caused by smoking

Absolutely, it's considered the biggest hazard on board (fire). People don't realize that all it takes in one improperly disposed of cigarette. I personally like carnival taking a hard line here and even finning people $500 for smoking outside of designate areas, per incident.

Thank you for adding that. We love our Vets! 🇺🇸

You're so welcome. We thought it was ingenious as well, when we heard it 🙂

Woohoo! Enjoy. Hope you have a wonderful time! Don't forget to watch out 5 scams in Costa Maya video to protect yourself when you're there.

Hi Mickie, we're so glad you enjoyed it. Early, is as soon as you clear customs. You can always check to see if there will be other ships there as well, as that'll add to the crowds. My recommendation would be go as soon as you dock to beat the ship tours there. That's who is gonna clog the streets because the locals see it everyday and aren't really there. You will walk all the through Taino bay to the taxi exit and then it's almost a straight shot up to umbrella and pink streets. As soon as you come off the gangway, I felt like the tuktuks were sitting there next to the ship waiting and then again at the end of the pier on your way back. Hope you enjoy it and let us know if you have any other questions we can help with. :) thanks for supporting the channel and safe travels.

@@amysturnkeytravel Those are perfect answers! Thank you so much! ~ I can't wait!!!

You're so welcome! And please watch the 5 scams in Costa Maya we recently posted to protect yourself when you're there. We hope you have a great time! 😊

That is awesome! I'm sure its gonna be a great cruise, with better music! El Loco Fresh is great, but I actually enjoyed the Fish n Ships as well. Huge pieces of flaky cod. Have a rockin' time.

@amysturnkeytravel Yeah! I heard that Fish N Ships is good from several different sources. The thing I enjoyed most, one of the things I'll be looking forward to in January, is relaxing in a Hot tub while watching a live Heavy Metal Concert.

So glad you liked it. Please watch our 5 scams in Costa Maya video before going to protect yourself before going. It's a decent walk, maybe 2 to 3 miles to the beach, you could rent a gold cart and do that fairly cheap to get there if you don't want to walk it. 😊

Understandable. We do like the port area for the 2 free pools, the aviary, and the dolphins (free spectating lol). But onces you've done those a few times, there isn't much else there. We just didn't the ruins and that was neat. But running out of things at that port quickly. It is nice to have a relaxing resort to retreat to.

Grrr! 😠 Man, that's frustrating! So glad you knew better and didn't get taken advantage of! Thanks for sharing your experience here so others don't get ripped off. 😊

Our beautiful states are amazing and all unique. And we're so glad you enjoy visiting them all. However, there are so many other beautiful and unique places as well. With beautiful people, cultures, and experiences. Unfortunately, there are bad people everywhere and things like this could happen here also. Wherever you choose to vacation, just be smart and have a great time 😊

Research the videos that reveal the scams in American tourists traps.

The United States is beautiful and I’ve traveled to every one of them but I’ve also traveled to other countries and learned so many things as a results. Did you know Canada has a wine country? It’s beautiful and they make ice wine there. Amazing. I’ve seen Mayan ruins in Mexico and gazed at the fjords in Norway while the aurora sparkled in the sky. I’ve visited Poland and saw Auschwitz and learned about intolerance and genocide and was humbled by the horror I saw and I learned how to understand and accept people who have different ideologies than myself. I’ve stood in the ocean in Sweden and watched the waves of two seas slap up against each other. I’ve watched the sun set over Mt. Vesuvius and pondered how the ancients felt that day it erupted. I’ve had so many experiences from my travels and met so many wonderful people from all walks of life. I’ve also encountered some bad but I’ve encountered more of that right here at home in the US. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and say, well I played it safe and never took chances so nothing bad happened. Get out and live my friend.

Thank you ! So glad you liked the video. And yes that shuttle comes in handy. Especially, when you're exhausted at the end of the day, hot, and tired of walking! You too! If you see us on a cruise say hi 😁

@@amysturnkeytravel Definitely!

Yes such a great spot to grab a bite! Great call on highlighting it. 😁

Are you talking about the "El Loco Fresh," place on the Freedom Of The Seas Ship?

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed it and found it useful!

That's great to hear. We were looking at doing this last time, but wee Leary for sure. We did the ruins instead. Maybe, next trip there we can give it a shot. Thanks for the tip! And yes, it is WAY cheaper than on board.

I get a massage here every visit. Amazing and so relaxing every time!!

Well, I guess that is a testament to the great job Royal did at protecting their privacy as well as keeping a sense of normalcy during the event for the rest of the passengers.

I'm so sorry you had to deal with this there. However, it is amazingly awesome that you stood of for yourself and got your money back! We love cruising and traveling and just want to help everyone have the best vacations possible by making travel simple. I hate that this video ended up being a reality for you, but thank you for verifying the information for everyone. 😊 Sounds like you have your wits about you, so I'm sure you'll do great wherever your next adventure leads you! Safe travels Jesse.

You did the right thing by confronting the scammer. Always threaten to tell the police and they will give you your money back.

We're so sorry for your loss. When we recorded it, we were hopeful and praying based of the information. We will be praying for peace for you family.

Thank you for the update. When we recorded, the latest news was he was alive. It is unfortunate he passed. At least he was found, recovered, and family was able to say good bye which is better than what is usual for this type of situation.

We did update the description to include this information though. Thank you.

Yes, that is unfortunate. Thanks for the update. At the time of recording, the latest news was he was still in critical condition. On the bright side (if there is one here) at least he was recovered and his family on board was able to see him and say goodbye and potentially have some closure.

We did update the description to include this information though. Thank you.

Great idea on the pic of the driver! And man I'm so sorry you were scammed at Big Momma's. Seems like they are in on quite a few of thesez unfortunately. Thanks for sharing that so others can know what to look out for as well!

You're so welcome. We enjoyed the port. Hopefully you have a great trip there 😁. Maybe the fort will be open when you go so you can explore that if it interests you

Wow, we're so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing your fond memories of him with us. We're so glad he was not just a great Captain, but a great family man and friend. May he rest in peace.

@@amysturnkeytravel yeah he was a awesome guy very fun to be around I used to go camping with them when I was younger a lot they were like a second family for me when I was a kid he definitely cared a lot about his Son and it was shocking to hear about his passing

Yes! It's a really nice perk of the port. The chairs you need to buy a drink (or so they say). But the pools are free! We have a video of the 5 scams to watch out for at this porting coming out this afternoon :) enjoy your trip there.

It is super impressive. You just don't hear people being that loyal to a company anymore. But I guess it speaks to how much he loved his job. He was definitely #LoyalToRoyal

It's true and the transfers back stateside can be a long process. We're sure the doctors there did what they could, but you're right, it isn't the same.

He was a fan favorite for certain. We do highly recommend you try a cruise though 🙂

Eso es el secreto? 😲

Costa Maya is such a great port for that! Being able to relax at the free pool is such a nice option. So glad you enjoyed it and liked the aviary as well. If you were to go back, what would you want to do next time?

This is a super fair review of radiance. I cna completely agree with your assessment. I believe that if you're sailing with kids the best bet is to stick to the freedom class or above. It'll ensure there is enough to do to keep the. Entertained. Which ships do your prefer to sail with your kids?

@@amysturnkeytravel Let's face it. A kid's idea of a vacay is NOT to be on some ship that hasn't much for a kid to do and do touristy stuff in foreign countries. They like active fun stuff like theme parks etc. The more bells & whistles, the better. Independence of the Seas is a nice compromise. Lots of stuff to do but not so much that the price is insufferable. It really depends on the age of the kids at sailing though.