Which small dining rooms are you referring to? I've been on the Holiday four times and all I've ever seen are the two main dining rooms where tables are assigned by the dining room manager.
Hi, Dave, glad that you responded. I read a review by you of a cruise you took on the Holiday in 2003. one is forward and one is aft. I believe you were in the forward dining room, The Four Winds. The other is the Seven Seas.
Also, Dave, can you advise us about shore excursions in Progresso and in Cozumel. We are both 65. We aren't interested in athletic activities - more sightseeing instead. Also, would you book thru the cruise line or try to do it yourself. We haven't cruised in over ten years.
The Holiday is an older ship that was designed before the introduction of the "Supper Clubs" andFreestyle dinning where there are optional resturants to choose from. So there are only the main dinning rooms and the buffet areas. Your table for the main dinning rooms will be assigned to your by the cruise line. Sometimes if you do not like your assignment, you can visit with the head waiter on the first day of the cruise and he can re-assign you, but that depends on how full the ship is.
Both Progresso and Cozumel have Mayan ruins. In Cozumel, I would suggest you use the ship booked tours since you need to go to the mainland via ferry and then to the ruins sites by bus. That can be challening to do on your own. For Progresso, if you take the shuttle bus to the end of the pier, the company that runs the bus service also does tours of various types and you can book them right there and save money over the ship booked excursions. I would suggest booking a Mayan ruin tour there because to do one in Cozumel consumes your whole stay.
I'll let others chime in here on tours in Cozumel since we have only done the snorkling and diving tours. Although if you want to see the reefs, they do offer a submarine tour where you don't have to do any work...
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================================================== ========== Carnival Cruise Lines:
Fantasy 90, Celebration 95, Victory 05, Conquest 05, Spirit 6/06, Freedom 6/08, Holiday 7/08, Victory 6/09, Valor 9/09, Dream 6/10, Splendor 8/10,Conquest 8/11,Magic 11/11,Triumph 4/12,Spirit 7/12,Freedom 11/12, Triumph 2/13 - The fire cruise
NCL Dream October 2006, RCCL Mariner OTS June 2007
Although I love the new ship designs in the cruising world, I have to rate the Holiday as my favorite ship. It is cozy and you can get to anywhere in just a couple minutes or so. As Jim said, the main dining rooms and the buffet are it as far as dining goes, and of course room service.
Several of us staff members are going on the Holiday this coming July for a 4-night cruise.
The San Gervasio Mayan ruins on Cozumel are not very interesting in my opinion. It is much better on the mainland. But I wouldn't bother leaving Cozumel since it eats up too much time. Do the ruins when you are in Progreso. There isn't much to do in Progreso itself. It is a sleepy little town that is more of a way station than anything else. It is pleasant and safe though, in case you just wanted to stroll around.
One tour that I've become interested in is the Mexican cooking excursion on Cozumel. This takes place at Playa Mia and includes a brief beach break but you wouldn't have to do that part of it. I think it would be fun to attend the cooking class.
They usually assign the particular dining rooms according to how close the cabin location is. Your dining room and table assignment will be on your Sail & Sign card. Go check it out as soon as possible after boarding. You can request a change if wanted, as Jim noted. It is important to do it asap.
The Carnival excursion that Dave mentioned does look fun if you like cooking. They have some sight-seeing excursions available for Cozumel as well. If you don't do the ruins in Progreso, and just want to walk around, it seemed safe to me as well. They had a local tour bus ride around the town for $1 the last time I was there.
Thought I'd chime in about the cooking class excursion in Cozumel. My son and I did it in 2006 and loved it so much, we're doing it again during our next visit to Cozumel. We had a blast -- all ages, all abilities.
We prepared a full meal, had mixed drinks while we cooked, then had wine with the dinner. The chef on duty that day was amazing and very patient with us. We highly recommend it.
The park has a nice pool, beautiful beach and easy-access amenities.
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