Ports of Call Excursions - Western Caribbean.

[Otis Hertz Alott]

Hi all. These forums have been very informative, but a ton of info! This is our first cruise (Carnival Glory - May 16) going to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Cayman Islands. I am not sure if I'm posting this in the right forum, but for those who have gone to these ports before, what excursions did you book/go on and what was your experiences with them, cost, etc? It's dizzying trying to figure out what to do. We have a fairly large group (13 people), and we probably all won't be doing the same excursions. But just wanting to get a sense of what people have done and enjoyed in these ports. From what I heard, since the cruise is only 4 weeks away, we should be finalizing our excursions fairly soon. Thanks to anyone in advance for your help!

[clackey]

Hi O, welcome to the boards.

 

You will probably get more info from the ports of call boards, but we were on this itinerary last Dec.

 

We wanted to do a snorkel trip with Upachaya Resort on Roatan but they were booked up 6 weeks out so we rented a taxi and went to Tabyana Beach then shopped our way back to the ship. Taxi was $80 for all day. The driver didn't speak one word of english. I speak some spanish but I don't understand them well so they got a 13 year old kid to translate. It was a hoot.;) The new Mahohany Bay facility is nice.

 

At Grand Cayman we grabbed a van (public trans) and went to Cemetary Beach. This is a very cheap way to get around. Cemetary is not well known and there was maybe 30 people there. Nice beach but the snorkeling areas are a long way from shore. There are better places to snorkel near the tenderdock. Eden Rock is within walking distance and is supposed to be good. If we go back we will take Nativeway's Rays, Reef, and Rum Point Tour.

 

Belize is the only port that screams "Tour". Cavetubing is great, Bannister Island is nice and on this last trip we took a water taxi to Cay Caulker. It was ok but I would not do it again. There are lots of tours available at the tenderdock but this is the only port on this itinerary where I might consider a ship tour.

 

Cozumel is the best port to do on your own. Very easy to do by taxi. We have shopped downtown, been to Playa Palancar, Paradise Beach, the "Wildside", Dzul Ha (Money Bar), Palmar and Chankanabb Park twice.

 

Hope this helps a little.

[danacline]

If you've never been to any of these ports, there are a few "must-do" excursions...

 

In Grand Cayman, visit StingRay City. Very cool, although kids under 10 might be scared a bit.

 

In Belize, you can go cave tubing, ziplining, and Zorbing (rolling down a hill inside a big clear inflatable ball). All three happen in the same area, so you might be able to get a combo tour with lunch.

 

In Cozumel, you can swim with dolphins at Chankanaab Park. If you like ruins, the ones at Tulum are well worth the 90-minute bus ride and 60-minute ferry crossing (but take a ship's tour to make sure you're back on time).

 

I have photos of all of these on my web site (except for the Zorbing - it's new).

[grrl2grrl]

I agree with the above posters! This was my first cruise last year! There are photos in the link in my signature.

I had the same ports, and we booked excursions in 2 of the 4.

Grand Cayman we booked Shipwreck Snuba through the ship. I don't snorkel, I can't seem to keep the water out of the tube, and I have never scuba dived as there is a lot of work to get certified. Snuba let me have the freedom of diving, without all the responsibility. This was truly one of the most amazing adventures of my life - it ranks up with the birth of my 1st born, and falling in love for the first time.

In Belize, we also booked cave tubing with Major Tom, independent from the cruise line. They were very professional, and even gave us a little history lesson on the bus ride to the caves. I jumped off a small cliff into the water on our walk up the mountain. Memories for a lifetime! In Belize, there are tent shopping once you get outside of the port shopping area. I didn't find any great deals there, but then I didn't spend much of my time shopping.

 

In Cozumel, we simply did port shopping, and touristy photos at the Three Amigos.

In Roaton, we took some of the most beautiful photos, they look like post cards. We also did some shopping behind the port shopping the vendors are lined up on the street. I found all of my souvenirs for all of my employees at this port, and was even able to haggle with the vendors.

Good luck, and have an amazing time, and apply sunscreen every 1-2 hours the highest SPF you can find. It would be horrible to spend the entire cruise in pain from a bad sun burn the first day. The sun in the Caribbean will scorch you in a matter of minutes if you are unprotected, and you won't even know it because you were staring at the water thinking "it really is as beautiful as in the pirates movies".

[Teeara]

Loved Western itinerary!

 

Belize: We did cave tubing in Belize with Yhony and they were fantastic. Did two caves AND they did the work for us pulling us through the water. We saw twice as many caves as those on the ships at half the price. Here's the link: http://www.cave-tubing.com/belize-cave-tubing-tour-details.html

 

Caymans: Did Stingray City in Cayman Islands (try to book the early excursion rather than later--might be less crowded) which we booked through the cruiseline.

 

Cozumel: In Cozumel we did Tulum which we booked through the cruiseline and I strongly recommend that you do the same. It is a very long excursion and you do NOT want to run the risk of missing the ship. TAKE A HAT!!! It was VERY hot there and there isn't much shade. Make sure you wear sunscreen. It was beautiful next to the water. We stopped about halfway there at a small souvenir store with some nice items, so bring cash and credit cards as there are also souvenir shops at Tulum itself outside of the grounds near the bus area.

 

Have a great time!!!

 

Theresa

[Teeara]

I agree with the above posters! This was my first cruise last year! There are photos in the link in my signature.

 

Dana, I can't see any photos :o(((

[grrl2grrl]

Dana, I can't see any photos :o(((

 

Try this link.

It does take a moment for the slideshow to show up, about 45 seconds - sorry it's so long...

Legend Scrapbook

[SD619Girl]

We are going in October on RCCL (can't wait!!!) and want to go to Tulum--how much should we expect to pay for this tour?

[Memargi]

We are going to go Ziplining in Rotan. They pick you up at the Dock and take you to the park. There is the short Tour, Just zipling and the lond tour, Island tour with sites that have Moneys and lizards. I will be going next week and will try to let you know how it went.

[clackey]

We are going in October on RCCL (can't wait!!!) and want to go to Tulum--how much should we expect to pay for this tour?

I don't know about RCCL but Carnival charges $89.95@ from Cozumel.

[Teeara]

Try this link.

It does take a moment for the slideshow to show up, about 45 seconds - sorry it's so long...

Legend Scrapbook

 

Thanks! That helped. Nice job!

[grrl2grrl]

Thanks! I loved your photos too! I am going to Alaska in 19 days, and your photos were of particular interest to me too! I am sure hoping there isn't as much snow for me :)

[Otis Hertz Alott]

Wow thanks everyone! For the life of me, I could not find this thread. Took me all these days to find it again...thanks.