Port Questions for the Disney Fantasy - Western Caribbean

Hi! I was wondering what some of your favorite port excursions are for the Disney Fantasy, for the Western Caribbean route. We are a family or 4 (2 kids - ages 7 and 11). Thanks!

Which ports are you visiting? Cozumel and grand cayman?

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Grand Cayman--Turtle farm, snorkel/stingray city. Grand Cayman is an easy, safe port. You can take a taxi or public bus to one of the beaches (the ones near the tender port aren't the best). All beaches are free and there are plenty of vendors to supply anything you want or need. There is no need to do a DCL excursion here unless you want to, especially since DCL will charge your 11 year old as an adult while most companies won't. We've used Captain Marvin's twice--once for 1/2 day island tour/Turtle farm and the other time for 1/2 day Snorkel/Stingray City. Great company, highly recommended. If you want to combine a Captain Marvin's activity with a beach day, they are happy to drop you at one of the popular beaches rather than returning you to the tender port--this saves the cost of one way transportation. FWIW, the island tour with Turtle farm was the same price as the turtle farm alone if booked thru another operator!

Good to know, Moki'smommy, and the ports are : Cozumel, Falmouth, and Grand Cayman.

What is a "tender port"?

What is a "tender port"?

It’s a port that you have to take a smaller boat to because the large ship can’t get close to shore for various reasons and has to anchor further away. (Port too small, coral reef in the way, etc.)

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Jamaica - Dunn's Falls and Bobsled run. We did it two weeks ago and had a blast. You don't have to walk up the falls. There is a path alongside it you can walk instead.

Best beaches/water color in Grand Cayman? Thoughts?

What is a "tender port"?

A port where ships cannot dock. If it is totally "tender," that means NO ships can dock, usually because of protected underwater structures like coral formations (so they can't dredge out a dock). If only some ships have to tender, it means that the docks are full.

A tender is a smaller boat (150-300 passengers usually) that ties up to the main ship, loads, and takes you to the port. It is usually a 10 minute ride or less, but at busy times you can wait in line for a while to get on one. The main ship will drop anchor and be relatively "fixed" in place and the tender is securely tied to the ship. One problem with tender ports is that the tenders cannot operate if the seas are rough, so these are the most often missed ports.

Best beaches/water color in Grand Cayman? Thoughts?

7 mile beach is by far the best known. At the far end of 7 mile beach is Cemetary Beach which is great. 7 Mile Beach is basically what the name implies--a beach that extends for a long way. All the popular beaches have plenty of vendors to sell or rent anything you want. Beaches are free--no one can own the beach itself, including hotels. However, this law applies only to the beach itself--people can own beach access ways. There are little brown signs that indicate public access to the free beaches. Unless you want to use a hotel room to change or something similar, there is no reason to buy any sort of a "day pass" to a location. The places that the taxis or bus will take you are public access to the beaches.

On Grand Cayman a trip to Stingray City is a very cool experience! We used a tour company outside of Disney for a Snorkel trip to Starfish point and Stingray City.

We are going back to GC next month on another cruise line and planning to dive/snorkel at Devil's grotto which is a popular dive stop. If you are guys are experienced snorkelers/drivers this is the best place on the island.

Jamaica - We usually just visit the market in Falmouth and not go out the gate.

Cozumel - I highly recommend Nachi Cocom - http://www.cozumelnachicocom.com/ We also have done the Snorkel sail offered via Disney which called the Fury. That was great as you they take you to a place to snorkel and than to a wonderful beach where they have a ton of inflatable beach toys, kayaks and lounge chairs. Wonderful trip!

Is there a non-Disney tour company that, in Grand Cayman, pairs a snorkel/submarine/underwater viewing experience with a beach lunch spot? I was looking into the Grand Cayman Seaworld Observatory Shipwreck and Fish Feeding Show .... does it go far enough away from the dock, to see a lot of fish underwater?

We did the turtle farm on our own in GC and really enjoyed it. Get the ticket that allows access to the whole park - fresh water pools and snorkel with sea turtles. Easy to get to and from on your own.

Cozumel we did Paradise Beach and really enjoyed it. Unless your kids are VERY strong, don't pay extra for the inflatables in the ocean. They were next to impossible to get up on. But, we enjoyed the pool, massages and great food and drink service all day. Would do it again!

Have fun!

How did you get to the turtle farm from the ship? How much did it cost to do it on your own, and how was the snorkeling?

How did you get to the turtle farm from the ship? How much did it cost to do it on your own, and how was the snorkeling?

We took a city bus. For 4 people, $10 total each way. The main bus stop is a couple blocks from the port. I bought tickets online directly from the turtle center. We had a 2yr old and 4 yr old so we did the cheaper tour not the one with snorkeling.

https://www.turtle.ky/

Do the cabs at all these ports take cash only, or credit cards?

How did you get to the turtle farm from the ship? How much did it cost to do it on your own, and how was the snorkeling?

The turtle farm is part of "Boatswain's." You can check prices on line. You can take a bus or taxi. When we did it, the price of the island tour thru Captain Marvin's (transportation starts across the street from tender terminal) was exactly the same as tickets to the turtle farm alone....so in that sense the transportation and tour were "free." Also, we were offered a drop off at either one of the main beaches or return to the tender terminal, so had we wanted to do the afternoon at the beach, that would have saved one way transportation.

Taxis in the ports take US dollars. I've never tried to use a credit card. In Cozumel, the cabs are "per cab," not "per person." and fares are posted on a board at the dock. No need to wonder what your fare will be. If you need to get cash, you can cash a personal check at Guest Services.