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We took this catamaran cruise last month. It was great. We were picked up outside the port building (past the pushy taxi drivers) and returned with plenty of time to do some shopping before boarding the ship. The crew members on board were fantastic. They made sure we were comfortable the entire trip. Two of the crew were in the water with us to make sure we were saw everything there was to see under the water. They took special care to help one person that wanted to snorkel but was scared. The patience and help that was given was exceptional. We have only the highest regard for this outfit - we were impressed. Lunch on board was also very good and you could have as much as you wanted. If you want a great crew, small group tour - this is it. Very relaxing tour. A great way to unwind and enjoy the beauty of the Caribbean.

We booked Herod's Land and Sea Tour and had a great time. They were waiting for us right outside the port building. Our guide was "King" Nigel. He was not only a great guide, he was an excellent driver. He told us a lot about the island, making numerous stops to look at the sites and get out to stretch your legs and get a beverage. Lunch at Herod's mama's house was amazing. The picture on their website doesn't so it justice. I'm a very picky eater, but found plenty that I liked. The fish I had was marlin - never had it before, but loved it. The timing of arriving at the beach was good as many were leaving at the time - so we were able to snag free lounge chairs. Loved the speed boat ride back to the ship. The boat was small, but there was plenty of room to either sit in the shade or sun. The day went fast - glad we chose Herod's.

We ended up taking the "Around the Isle of Spice" full day tour with the cruise ship (Celebrity). Although the bus was narrow (so seats for two were cramped) we loved the tour. Saw the nutmeg plantation, distillery, waterfalls, Grand Anse. It was a delightful day.

We took the West Side Tour in March (2015). We had a blast. They picked us up at the pier (outside the port gate) as scheduled. We got to their site, took a test drive, signed the paperwork and off we went. We were on a Celebrity ship with no other ships in port and were the only ones on the tour and grateful they didn't cancel on us. Drove on both hard roads and dirt. Our guide was great. Made several stops to learn about the island and the area where we were stopped. Our guide took pictures all during the trip so we didn't have to worry about not having pictures of what we were seeing while driving. The pictures were emailed to us - nice touch as I wouldn't have wanted to try to take pictures while driving. We loved the tour and would highly recommend it.

Can these tour be customized? Or do the guides take you to certain places?

You may be able to customize your tour if your group is the only ones taking the tour, but otherwise, they have a set course they follow. Please note that they do NOT go to the church even though it is on their web site. We took the tour this past March (2015) and we did not go to the church. When I asked about it they told me they stopped going there about a year ago as it gets too crowded. If you want to go there - ask before booking. Maybe you can get them to stop there. We were disappointed. We were also back at the dock before noon - so our tour was a little shorter (maybe quicker) than what is listed on their website. We did have a good time. Not "exciting", but fun.

Has anyone taken the full day tour with Mandoo? It's an 8 hour tour and we are in pot 9 hours so I didn't think we should even try to take this tour. The ship (Celebrity Eclipse) has an 8 hour tour. We weren't sure if they used Mandoo or someone else.

Thanks to everyone for their replies. I thought the prices listed online for our cruise seemed lower than onboard, but I wasn't sure. There is also a package of three for $99 and a package of five (I forget the price of that one as that's just too many). The package of three is almost a 30% discount from the onboard price. We don't normally dine in the specialty restaurants but thought we'd give it a try. Thanks again to everyone as you were very helpful.

Does anyone know if the prices for the specialty restaurants higher on board than booking in advance? If I look online, Tuscan Grille is $35, Murano is $45 and Qsine is $45 on the Eclipse for the March Southern Caribbean sailings. I've seen threads where people said these restaurants were $50 on board. Just curios as I know you can sometimes get specials on board - but maybe it's better to book in advance - especially if we buy a package. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Has anyone used Julian Boat Tours? What did you think of them? Thanks.

Thanks for the responses. The reason we are looking at flights now is because we were trying to use miles for the tickets. They are currently available while usually flights aren't available or the number of miles needed are outrageous.

We will be arriving in San Diego on November 20th (Friday) on the Celebrity Infinity. Is a 1:05PM flight time ok? As we are heading to the east coast, this is about the latest flight we can take that isn't an overnight with a long layover. Thanks.

Has anyone done ATV's? Looked back several pages and didn't see anything. TripAdvisor lists several, but haven't seen anything on these boards.

The best!

No putting up with 30+ other pushy shovey people.

Gentle people, gentle conversation, great refreshments, great service, no noise.;)

Class:)

Thanks for the quick response. It doesn't get mentioned a lot so I was hesitating to book with them even though they are so highly rated on Trip Advisor. I do believe that is who we will go with. Thanks again.

I was interested in the Elegance, too. IT is highly rated on Trip Advisor yet I don't see anything about in here on Cruise Critic. Any reason why? Thanks!

She's at the terminal and waiting to board. Things are going much better now. Just a rough (and scary) start this morning wondering if the weather was going to make her miss the cruise.

Thanks everyone for all your help.

I think I heard all trains were cancelled?

She made it to New York. Most of the trains from Philly to New York are getting through.

I've been trying that site all morning but for some reason it's not working on my computer. I'm sure I've used that site before for other ports so I'm not sure why it's not working.

Thanks for all of the information. She is traveling by train from Philly to NY, then taking a cab to the pier. Her original train was cancelled but she now has tickets for the next train that leaves at 11:15AM. According to the Amtrak site, those that are leaving Philly are getting to NY without problems - only some slight delays. She should still be there in plenty of time as long as nothing happens along the way. It has been quite a stressful morning.

Ok, so I found that it sails out of the Port of New York - same as the Norwegian ships. Looking at the threads here on Cruise Critic I was seeing Manhattan and the Bronx so I wasn't sure what all of these different ports were.

What New York Port does the Carnival Splendor use? My daughter is leaving today on that ship and I am having trouble finding out which port she is using. With the weather like it is - I'm just curious to find the port web cam and any information I can about the weather conditions, etc. Thanks.

Hi,:) no need to call the day before. There are cabs going up and down

17th Street all the time. It will be very easy to catch one the morning

you need it.

Have a great time:D

So we can hail a taxi like in a major city? Just flag one down? Nice! Thanks.

We will be flying in this Saturday, spending the night at Holiday Inn Express on 17th Street before our cruise. We plan to take a cab from the hotel to the pier. Should we call the day before and reserve a cab or do we just call when we are ready to go? Needless to say, we've never done this before. Thanks.

Yeah, I thought this might be more like Hawaii than Colorado - dirty. We will go prepared. Thanks!

We did an ATV tour in Hawaii that gave us coveralls to wear so we didn't ruin our clothes (they would have been ruined). We rode in Colorado and didn't need coveralls and were fine. The excursion did not say they would provide coveralls. Do we need clothes that we are willing to toss after the tour or is it not too muddy/dirty in Cozumel? I read that you should wear throw away clothes on the dune buggy tours but didn't see anything about the ATV's. We are going with Celebrity if that makes a difference. Thanks.

We will be there in January. There will be six ships in port that day. We are the last to arrive so I'm hoping that we don't get diverted as we will be one of the ships that sails by on the way to our next destination.