Looking for thoughts on itinerary.

[teddy'sgirl]

We are looking at cruises for next October and would love some input from those of you who have sailed these itineraries. This will be our 5th cruise and our kids 4th cruise. We are looking at a 7 day cruise this time since both our kids will have 2 weeks for fall break. We considered the Magic out of Galveston but that's an almost 14 hour drive. :cool: So we are looking at the Dream out of Port Canaveral. One cruise is western carribean and one is eastern carribean. The western itinerary has a sea day then ports in Cozumel the second day, Belize the third day, Roatan the fourth day, Costa Maya the 5th day, and then a sea day before returning to Port Canaveral. The eastern itinerary ports in Nassau the first day (not my favorite port), then has a sea day the second day, day three and four are St. Thomas and St. Maarteen with days five and six being sea days.

We have been to Cozumel and to Nassau before so we know we will probably just hit the beach on either of these ports. My concern is that the western carribean itinerary will be too much activity for us with 4 straight port days. Keep in mind, the kids will be 14, 11, and 4 at this time! So your thoughts and advice on these two itineraries will be appreciated. If you've done excursions in any of these ports, which ones? I know I have plenty of time to research but thought I would start here! ;)

[CruisinTormos]

My DH and I took the Dream on the eastern caribbean cruise last September. First-LOVED the Dream. We had both been to Nassau before and went to Atlantis this trip. It was a decent time but not much better than the previous time we'd been there. I'm just not a huge fan of Nassau though.

 

We played golf on St. Thomas so we didn't spend much time doing anything around the port or at any of the beaches but I *loved* St Thomas. It was gorgeous. The ocean views were breath-taking.

 

St. Maarten we did the jeep island tour and hit the beach. The tour was ok but the island wasn't nearly as pretty as St. Thomas. A lot of impoverished areas. The beach was very nice and it was relaxing.

 

Overall I really enjoyed the itinerary and would do it again.

 

I can't help with the other itinerary, although we are doing it on the Glory out of Miami next month and I'm quite excited for it!

[Tapi]

We just returned from the Western itinerary on the Dream. Wonderful cruise, and it didn't feel like we had "too much to do".

 

• We've been MANY times to Cozumel, so we didn't plan any activities for this port (in fact, I stayed onboard while the rest of the family went ashore for a few hours to do some shopping).
   
  
• Belize is the only port where you REALLY want to have something planned (shore excursion). It's a beautiful country, but not one where you can truly venture on your own.
   
  
• In Roatan you dock at Mahogany Bay, so you have shopping, beach, water sports, and snorkeling within walking distance. There's a "ski lift" that takes you to the beach. Very relaxing
   
  
• In Costa Maya we took a cab to Mahahual ($3pp) and got away from the craziness and tourist trap prices and shops right at the port. We had the beach all to ourselves. My wife even got a one hour massage overlooking the ocean right on the beach for $20 (it's $55 if you do it at Costa Maya).
  

I would NOT do an Eastern Caribbean itinerary that includes Nasau (YUCK!). In my opinion, it's a waste of money.

[Relayer]

From your choices I would choose the Dream to the wild wild west. Did this sailing in March. We love the itinerary with the exception of Costa Maya. A total bust IMHO.

 

This is what we love to do!

 

Roatan - Pirates of the Caribbean zip line. Rest of day at Mayan Princess resort. Awesome pool! Nice beach access.

 

Belize - Any snorkel excursion from pier. Geoff's Caye a must.(see sig. picture) Pristine, small island. Great snorkeling right off of the beach. Book at pier and miss the ship crowds.

 

Cozumel - The only thing - Nacchi Cocom. Wonderful beach, clear waters, good food, service and pool.

 

Costa Maya - Deship - briefly shop - return to ship. Just my opinion. The area around Mahahual can be a bit dicey.

 

Love St. Maarten and St Thomas. Just not ready for 10th trip to Nassau.

[w8ing2cruz]

Personally I'd drive a little further south and take the Liberty Eastern route out of Miami. Sailaway is awesome. Ports of Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk - a little of everything and the ship is incredible!!

 

If I had to choose from your list I'd do Dream Western.

 

Whatever you decide - have a blast!!

[frito58]

Well if you choose the western PLEASE go to the Costa Maya board its a great stop been there 4 times wonderful people , go downtown its one of our favorite ports. Not real sure why it scares some people but we have always had a wonderful time in the dowtown area. :):)

[Tapi]

Costa Maya - Deship - briefly shop - return to ship. Just my opinion. The area around Mahahual can be a bit dicey.

 

Here are some pictures from "dicey" Mahahual...:rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

[dolfansam]

We are looking at cruises for next October and would love some input from those of you who have sailed these itineraries. This will be our 5th cruise and our kids 4th cruise. We are looking at a 7 day cruise this time since both our kids will have 2 weeks for fall break. We considered the Magic out of Galveston but that's an almost 14 hour drive. :cool: So we are looking at the Dream out of Port Canaveral. One cruise is western carribean and one is eastern carribean. The western itinerary has a sea day then ports in Cozumel the second day' date=' Belize the third day, Roatan the fourth day, Costa Maya the 5th day, and then a sea day before returning to Port Canaveral. The eastern itinerary ports in Nassau the first day (not my favorite port), then has a sea day the second day, day three and four are St. Thomas and St. Maarteen with days five and six being sea days.

We have been to Cozumel and to Nassau before so we know we will probably just hit the beach on either of these ports. My concern is that the western carribean itinerary will be too much activity for us with 4 straight port days. Keep in mind, the kids will be 14, 11, and 4 at this time! So your thoughts and advice on these two itineraries will be appreciated. If you've done excursions in any of these ports, which ones? I know I have plenty of time to research but thought I would start here! ;)[/quote']

 

St Maarten and St Thomas are two of my favorite ports. I would select that cruise. Have you gone to the Ardastral Gardens in Nassau? The kids might enjoy that or Blue Lagoon.

[tassycatt]

Well if you choose the western PLEASE go to the Costa Maya board its a great stop been there 4 times wonderful people , go downtown its one of our favorite ports. Not real sure why it scares some people but we have always had a wonderful time in the dowtown area. :):)

Im with this poster! LOVE LOVE LOVED Costa Maya. Go down to Mahuhual, see the vendors along the beach, haggle (everyone was friendly) find a thatched umbrella on the beach, have some cold beverages..let the kids play in the sand and ocean and then you MUST go to a restaurant called 100% Agave. (you can find allll about it on the Costa Maya board in Ports of Call).

 

So wonderful, authentic....the host Fernando is great and you will love it. Wish I was there now!!

 

 

this is where I discovered it, there are lots of pics too!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1287749

[Tapi]

Not real sure why it scares some people but we have always had a wonderful time in the dowtown area. :):)

 

I think it's because many cruise passengers feel genuinely uncomfortable getting out of their comfort zone and going somewhere that they are completely unfamiliar with.

 

That's why many companies like Fat Tuesday's, Senor Frog's, Starbuck's and McDonald's have flourished at many destinations throughout the Caribbean. They've capitalized on this type of tourist.

[teddy'sgirl]

WOW! You all have my attention in Coasta Maya! I think that may just be what we are looking for. We've been to Cozumel 3 times and DH and I have been to the Barcelo in the Riviera Maya area so needless to say, we LOVE Mexico. We are comfortable enough with Cozumel for a beach and shopping day. Not sure what we will do in Belize. I think in Roatan, I want to do a bigger excursion, leaning toward the Victor Bodan tour. Looks like our last day will be beach and 100% Agave. We've done Uxmal with the kids last year in Progreso and DH and I have been to Chitchen Itza so I think we will take a break from Mayan ruins this time around. After last week in Nassau, our oldest even said he wished we had gone back to Cozumel! :o I really like this itinerary but was worried 4 port days in a row would be too much. By day 4 on our 5 day cruises, we are all ready for naps! I think if we space out our activities on port day and not run full throttle, we should be OK with this itinerary. Just have to remember the umbrella stoller for the 4 y/o. She gets heavy trying to carry her everywhere! ;) Thanks for everyone's input!

[GloriaF]

They both sound like good itineraries, so which ever one you choose will be fun for the whole family! Unless you have bad weather leaving or arriving in port, as the ships from Jacksonville and Port Canaveral had during the recent nor'easter that hit Florida. Remember October is still prime hurricane season. Just be prepared with sea sickness pills and/or sea bands, etc., and realize that your itinerary could be changed due to bad weather in the Caribbean. I don't want to rain on your parade, just give you a slight word of warning. Hoping no bad weather comes your way and you all have a wonderful cruise!!

[teddy'sgirl]

They both sound like good itineraries, so which ever one you choose will be fun for the whole family! Unless you have bad weather leaving or arriving in port, as the ships from Jacksonville and Port Canaveral had during the recent nor'easter that hit Florida. Remember October is still prime hurricane season. Just be prepared with sea sickness pills and/or sea bands, etc., and realize that your itinerary could be changed due to bad weather in the Caribbean. I don't want to rain on your parade, just give you a slight word of warning. Hoping no bad weather comes your way and you all have a wonderful cruise!!

 

Thanks Gloria. We do realized that we are still cruising at the end of hurricaine season. In fact, we just got off the Fascination Saturday and we were prepared for a missed port or delay in boarding. I was not, however, prepared for a 3 and 1/2 embarkation with 2 hours being held in a parking lot while those who arrived by shuttle were allowed to board before we could even move out of the temporary parking into the parking lot! :mad: BUT, that's a whole different story. Once we finally got on board, our cruise was fabulous! Actually, the calmest waters we've ever had! No dizziness after the cruise either! :D Thanks for the heads up though!