newbieneeds help!!!

[lolalita28]

This will be the first time ever that me and my husband will go on a cruise. We have a verrrry limited budget and I would want us to experience as much as we can for little money. We will stop on Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman.

We love snorkeling but we are not the free dive type. All of our snorkeling was only in Florida...

Can somebody give us a really good tip as to which reefs/ beaches, will have colorful corals, easy to see from the surface , and good fish variety..honestly we don't mind the depth of the water, it can be in the middle of the ocean but if the coral are too deep down we can't free dive to see them and then it's just frustrating..

Some of the pictures I saw from the " paid cozumel, cayman snorkeling trips " has the same type fish we already saw in Florida.. and plain rocky coral that's not colorfull.. I would love to see brain coral and the fans..

And what we would want are recommendations for a good friendly , inexpensive local" driver for a day" to go to these spots and other attractions, at our own pace.. I personally don't like the " moving on quickly tours"

Worst case scenario maybe rent a car and try to manage ourselves but we still need to know what is worth to see. Thank you all !!!

[JimAOk1945]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! You will find a wealth of information here.

 

Sorry, I can't answer your questions, but you might try joining the "Roll Call" for your particular cruise and post you questions there.

 

Another option is post your questions in the Ports section. Experienced cruisers to each port of call on your itinerary may be able to help.

 

Happy Cruising! It's a great way to travel and see the world!

[JohninDC]

In GC you should look at a snorkel and Stingray City tour -- we've been with Moby Dick twice now and enjoyed the smaller boat and great service. Snorkeling there is great and the stingrays are a fun experience.

http://www.mobydicktours.com/moby-dick/

 

If you want to snorkel form the shore in Coz then head to the Money Bar -- no beach, you enter the water via steps and water depth there will not be an issue for you. They also offer good food and drinks and a sandy area for sunning and relaxing.

http://www.moneybarbeachclub.com/

 

A little more expensive option would be Chankanaab Marine park -- nice beach areas plus good shore snorkeling; because they also offer swim with the dolphin excursions, etc. the place can be filled with lots of families.

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/CHANKANAAB

 

Good luck! :)

[KirkNC]

This will be the first time ever that me and my husband will go on a cruise. We have a verrrry limited budget and I would want us to experience as much as we can for little money. We will stop on Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman.

We love snorkeling but we are not the free dive type. All of our snorkeling was only in Florida...

Can somebody give us a really good tip as to which reefs/ beaches, will have colorful corals, easy to see from the surface , and good fish variety..honestly we don't mind the depth of the water, it can be in the middle of the ocean but if the coral are too deep down we can't free dive to see them and then it's just frustrating..

Some of the pictures I saw from the " paid cozumel, cayman snorkeling trips " has the same type fish we already saw in Florida.. and plain rocky coral that's not colorfull.. I would love to see brain coral and the fans..

And what we would want are recommendations for a good friendly , inexpensive local" driver for a day" to go to these spots and other attractions, at our own pace.. I personally don't like the " moving on quickly tours"

Worst case scenario maybe rent a car and try to manage ourselves but we still need to know what is worth to see. Thank you all !!!

 

Welcome to CC! Hope you enjoy your first cruise.

[lolalita28]

Thank you all..

[mrsfuzzmo]

If you're on a budget in Grand Cayman and don't want to pay for a Stingray excursion (if you can afford it, definitely look into it), you can just head south from the tender pier to Paradise Grill. Here you can rent snorkel gear (if you don't have your own) and it's free to snorkel and leave your stuff at a table. We, of course, ordered a couple of drinks and some food, but we spent a good four hours there. Snorkel out to the buoys and it's gorgeous, or right along the shoreline is decent as well. Definitley a cheap day!

 

Cozumel, Take a taxi to Money Bar. Inexpensive (about $10-15 each way). No entry fee, and you can order beverages and food from the bar. Decent snorkeling right from shore.

 

I would highly recommend getting your own mask and snorkel if you don't already have one!

[weekscruisers]

I definitely recommend snorkeling from Paradise Grill at Grand Cayman. We have been twice, and saw fish, turtles, stingrays- Florida can't compare! It's also very inexpensive. You get off the pier and walk a couple of blocks to the right. You can't miss it! You should then hire one of the multiple drivers at the port for a quick island tour. That way, you feel that you have seen Grand Cayman. This will take you by the Turtle Farm, a quick trip to Hell,:), the rum cake and rum factories, and an overview of the island. Our driver dropped off at either 7 mile beach or back at the port- and only charged $10 pp. Ask for "Super Fly";)

 

In Cozumel, I would recommend one of the AI resorts. We did Mr. Panchos on our last adult-only cruise and really enjoyed it. Great food, great drinks, water sports, bed-size loungers on the beach--- can't be beat!!

 

Don't waste your money booking through Carnival. I have been to Jamaica, Grand Cayman (twice), Cozumel, the Bahamas, and Key West- and have never booked an excursion. I have found better, and better priced, excursions on this website than anything the cruise lines offer.

 

Enjoy your first cruise- it won't be your last!!

[lolalita28]

Your response came at the right time, as I just started researching Grand Cayman, your info for the driver is much appreciated.

We decided to rent a car in Cozumel and go snorkeling at the Money bar, Playa Corona, and some other beaches.

 

I would not mind paying for an excursion to Palancar Reef and Columbia Shallows if I could confirm from somebody that the coral is colorful and easily seen without" free diving". I basically want the "diving" view from the surface.. I guess that's hard to find .. But I'm too scared to get certified as I am quite clumsy and panicky.. or too easily distracted by the beauty.. a recipe for disaster... so I'm sticking to snorkeling.

If anybody else knows of a " PERFECT SNORKELING "spot like that anywhere in the Carribean, please let me know and I will find a way to get there :) eventually..

 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

[crisp1]

Your response came at the right time, as I just started researching Grand Cayman, your info for the driver is much appreciated.

We decided to rent a car in Cozumel and go snorkeling at the Money bar, Playa Corona, and some other beaches.

 

I would not mind paying for an excursion to Palancar Reef and Columbia Shallows if I could confirm from somebody that the coral is colorful and easily seen without" free diving". I basically want the "diving" view from the surface.. I guess that's hard to find .. But I'm too scared to get certified as I am quite clumsy and panicky.. or too easily distracted by the beauty.. a recipe for disaster... so I'm sticking to snorkeling.

If anybody else knows of a " PERFECT SNORKELING "spot like that anywhere in the Carribean, please let me know and I will find a way to get there :) eventually..

 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

 

Although I got certified years ago, my wife doesn't even snorkel, so I find us beaches that I can snorkel from and she can swim/sun. I've found the best snorkeling from the beach is in St Lucia, Bonaire and St Thomas/St John. I don't free dive either, the water in the Caribbean is so clear even when snorkeling in 20 ft of water you can easily see the bottom.

[lolalita28]

Thank you so much.. We'll try to save money and hopefully, God Willing we'll make it to those islands on our next cruise . It's my dream to see a beautiful variety of corals close to shore.. Any particular spots or beaches on these islands that are the best?

In my research I came across a beautiful beach on the Cayman Island called Barefoot Beach.. but it's far from the docking pier and sometimes there's a chance of being full of garbage from Cuba.. Will let everyone know if I make it there..

[flounder315]

We decided to rent a car in Cozumel and go snorkeling at the Money bar, Playa Corona, and some other beaches.

 

 

PLEASE DO NOT rent a car in Mexico. I have read to many times where tourists are targeted. They pull out in front of you on a scooter, you hit them and you have to pay whatever their family says plus their salary and hospital bills. Please reconsider renting a car or any other type vehicle while in Mexico... use a taxi to get around...

[divinmule]

Your response came at the right time, as I just started researching Grand Cayman, your info for the driver is much appreciated.

We decided to rent a car in Cozumel and go snorkeling at the Money bar, Playa Corona, and some other beaches.

 

I would not mind paying for an excursion to Palancar Reef and Columbia Shallows if I could confirm from somebody that the coral is colorful and easily seen without" free diving". I basically want the "diving" view from the surface.. I guess that's hard to find .. But I'm too scared to get certified as I am quite clumsy and panicky.. or too easily distracted by the beauty.. a recipe for disaster... so I'm sticking to snorkeling.

If anybody else knows of a " PERFECT SNORKELING "spot like that anywhere in the Carribean, please let me know and I will find a way to get there :) eventually..

 

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

 

The snorkeling spots your looking for are on US soil....After your cruise is finished...save up and head to the KEYS!! You'll get everything ur looking for. :D

 

Have fun on your cruise...

[kwbound]

In Cozumel I agree with the recommendations for either The Money Bar or Chankanaab. And I also agree with the recommendation to NOT rent a car. You will probably pay less taking taxis, without the risks that comes with renting a car.

 

In Grand Cayman if you really want to save money you can take a bus (they are really just passenger vans) and go to Cemetery Beach, and swim out to Cemetery Reef. There will be very few people on the beach or in the water. Then when you are ready to go back to the ship, just walk out to the road and wait for another bus to come by and flag it down. They run every few minutes. There will be locals and tourists on the bus. Eating or drinking anywhere in Cayman is VERY expensive, so you might want to pack some drinks and snacks from the ship. And eat a hardy breakfast to hold you over until you get back on board. My photos from Cemetery Beach can be seen here. You will notice that in the early photos the bottom is flat and sandy, and then you start seeing formations as you get farther out. Then the last photos the bottom is flat again as we came back in.

 

I'm sure you will have fun whatever you decide to do.

 

Donna

[CaribbeanRNQueen]

Has anyone been to any Cozumel tours? I am debating tours not offered through the Ship because I want to see a lot of Cozumel and snorkel (Dzul-Ha Reef) and the cruise does not offer such a package.. I have these three I am looking at. Has anyone tried these? If so - your thoughts? I would be travelling alone..... Safe?

 

Cozumel's Most Complete Island Jeep & Snorkel Tour by Cozumel Insider

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/islandjeep

 

COZUMEL JEEP TOUR by JS (Joahnn & Sandra) Tour and Travel

http://www.cozumel-tours.com/jeep-tour-cozumel.htm

 

Buggy and Jeep tour by Shore Excursioneer

http://www.cozumel-watersports.com/e...nssnorkel.html

[Tina Chi Chi]

I've been on three Palancar snorkeling tours and while it is an experience I have to say that the depth that you snorkel at does not give you much to really see. Plus, after the first few minutes you do start to feel the cold. It is very deep and the colors are muted and the fish are not that plentiful. I would go with the Money Bar. Afew years ago snorkeling was much better than it is today, but it is still worth the effort.