Flea markets? - Western Caribbean cruise

[michelle028]

Hi,

 

Are there any flea/straw markets (ie within walking distance from port) in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan? Trying to avoid cruise ship style prices from stores owned by the cruiseline.

 

Thanks for your tips!

[firefly333]

Roatan, Carnival built that new port way away from anything.. there is NOTHING close by. Just to make sure I walked out of the port area and up the hill .. nothing within eye sight..you have to get a cab.

 

Belize there is a market across the street I wish I had gone to. I got scared when the locals were crowding the fence and all they were all reaching thru the holes in the fence at me.. imagine a chain link fence .. full of waving arms trying to get you to come over. Freaked me out and I decided not to walk out of the port area .. but next time I will. I will be back this nov.

 

Grand Cayman, plenty of local shopping .. np.

 

Cozumel is a tourist trap .. for instance the drug store across from the port area.. the items were less than half what the drug store within the port was asking for the same items... so walk across the street and shop.. though I have bought things within the port area too for convenience.

 

Roatan. .. things cost double what you can buy them for elsewhere ..or more. they know you cant get to any other shopping close by. trapped.

[BigDfromTN]

You may get more specific responses at each individual port of call board.

 

This is located a little further down the main boards page.;)

[BigDfromTN]

Roatan, Carnival built that new port way away from anything.. there is NOTHING close by. Just to make sure I walked out of the port area and up the hill .. nothing within eye sight..you have to get a cab.

 

Belize there is a market across the street I wish I had gone to. I got scared when the locals were crowding the fence and all they were all reaching thru the holes in the fence at me.. imagine a chain link fence .. full of waving arms trying to get you to come over. Freaked me out and I decided not to walk out of the port area .. but next time I will. I will be back this nov.

 

Grand Cayman, plenty of local shopping .. np.

 

Cozumel is a tourist trap .. for instance the drug store across from the port area.. the items were less than half what the drug store within the port was asking for the same items... so walk across the street and shop.. though I have bought things within the port area too for convenience.

 

Roatan. .. things cost double what you can buy them for elsewhere ..or more. they know you cant get to any other shopping close by. trapped.

 

Nice summation. My prior post was not in response to your post now quoted.

[firefly333]

Twice in Roatan I took a taxi who did the around the island tour and we agreed on a price. Once we did all day with Victor Bodden's guys who are great, and he stopped at a grocery store where I loaded up with 10 coffees to bring home.. they really have great coffee there. Best port for coffee to me. I have bought Blue Mountain twice in Jamaica and both times was very dissapointed.. shabby coffee.

 

The old port in Roatan where RCL ports.. tons of shopping right there and you can walk to it.. so I do know the difference with the new Carnival's Mahogany Bay where the stores give Carnival a kick back?? Or they know there is nothing you can walk to.. I was shocked by the coffee prices within the port area.. and the tee shirts when I was there were nice.. but expensive surfing and other name brand shops, no tees under $10.. so to me that was expensive .. maybe they have cheaper ones now. Ill know next Nov.

 

I regularly go the to drug store across from the port in Cozumel and buy Prilosec generic, so much cheaper than US .. and have bought antibiotics and knock off purses there and so much else.. one of my favorite stores. And then walk down to the internet cafe there. So, I know the prices in this shop particularly well and visit there perhaps 6 times last year.. so often enough I know this port all too well.

 

I find Caymans to be a little expensive.. though I love the harley store for tee shirts. it used to be a tax haven for US tax dodgers and their economy is booming compared to the US, so this port, the shopping .. so so.

[firefly333]

Nice summation. My prior post was not in response to your post now quoted.

 

OK thanks .. I kind of wondered if you disagreed ... I know next time in Belize I will not be such a chicken. We did a local taxi drive around the city and it scared me too .. but everyone got such good deals across from the port.. I will walk there and not let them scare me.

 

I love Roatan .. its my favorite place to shop and sight see.