Late Honeymooner Torn Between W. Caribbean Ports

[Rshows24]

Hi there, thanks for sharing!

 

 

 

So Grand Cayman is not as pretty to you than Belize or Roatan? Interesting...

 

 

 

And why would I need to do an excursion in Belize?

 

 

 

Thank you for replying!

 

 

Grand Cayman is pretty , but condos block the view of the beaches...

[AmyW820]

Roatan is garbage.

 

Care to elaborate?

[AmyW820]

Yes, I like the scenery better in Belize and Roatan. All personal preference I suppose. I love the mangrove islands in Belize and the mountains in Roatan.

 

The port area in Belize is a cookie cutter cruise port. Not worth the tender ride to see it in my opinion unless you have an excursion planned. I went to what is now starfish island and had an awesome time. That tender took is directly from the ship to the island. After the excursion I took a tender to the mainland which is why I can say I'd recommend an excursion in Belize.

 

 

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Okay, awesome. Thank you!

[AmyW820]

We just did #4 in November on the Dream!! It was awesome!! And that was for our honeymoon as well!! Very awesome cruise!! Montego Bay was awesome port ! Grand Cayman was fun!! Gotta go to Hell if you choose this cruise.. And then, we personally love Cozumel , so anytime we go there we love it!!

 

Grand Cayman is pretty , but condos block the view of the beaches...

 

Hello, thank you for replying! Did you do an excursion in Grand Cayman, or just sight-see?

[Rshows24]

In grand Cayman we took a tour that included transportation to Hell , went to the rum cake factory , and to the aqua park where you can watch the Dolphins and stuff( extra if you wanna swim) then we got them to drop us off at calico jacks on seven mile beach.. Great place!! Then we took taxi back to port (5 dollars pp) and walked downtown from cruise port... Hung out at a watering hole there and swam with some tarpon...

[MomofTheBoy]

Hello! Thank you for replying! I didn't think really any of these places were unsafe as long as you stay in the tourist-y area and don't roam around aimlessly after dark! I hope people aren't doing that and then saying Jamaica isn't safe...:confused:

 

I have never been to Negril but have seen pictures and it is beautiful! Have you been to Grand Cayman before? And between the Grand Cayman/Ocho Rios itinerary and the Mahogany Bay/Belize itinerary, which would you choose?

 

Now that I've been sooo many times, I don't do the touristy places in Negril and I go out at night. Now I don't go by myself cause momma didn't raise no fool LOL But I wouldn't go wandering around in an unfamiliar area here in the states by myself either. Negril is beautiful, truly my happy place.

 

If I had to choose between the two I would choose Mahogany Bay/Belize only because I have never been to either of those places. My son is 5 and his ideal vacation involves as much beach time as possible so I know all my port days are beach heavy! I'm picking based off beaches, but that's just me!

[MaShesLookinOutMyWindow]

Hi there, thanks for replying!

 

Your cruise sounds very excursion heavy, which is awesome, but we are probably just going to enjoy beaches and swimming more than anything on this cruise.

 

You have been one of the only people to mention loving Belize so much - most people have seemed to favor Jamaica over Belize! What exactly does Belize smell like? Can't believe it put your Hawaii trip to shame, although I've never been to Hawaii either. Thanks for sharing. :)

 

I don't think the cruise itself was excursion heavy, that's just what we prefer. I am not the world's most patient person, and the thought of sitting on beach after beach after beach for hours on end seems boring to me. If I'm going to another country, and not sure if/when I'd ever return, I'm not going to waste time looking at sand and water. I want to explore and get a feel of the area, the culture, the food, the music. But that's just me. For a honeymoon, a relaxing trip is probably good. That's just not my personality.

 

The smell in Belize is very fresh and floral. Kind of like the smell of rain mixed with the most beautiful flower you've ever smelled. It sticks to your clothes, too. I had to talk myself into washing the clothes we wore in Belize after we got home, because I didn't want to get rid of that beautiful smell. Then again, coming from a huge city, I could very well have just been happy to not be smelling soot and car exhaust.

[winddawn]

Hi everyone!

 

Just a quick backstory - got married in May 2014 (eloped) and we didn't have quite enough money to take the honeymoon we wanted, so we're planning to take a cruise this November or December and count that as our "honeymoon" lol :D

 

I have been on a 4 day cruise in the Mediterranean before (back in 2008) but my husband has never cruised before.

 

We will be leaving from New Orleans, so that gives us 4 options:

 

1. 5 day cruise to Cozumel and Progreso

 

2. 7 day cruise to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel

 

3. 7 day cruise to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel

 

4. 7 day cruise to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel

 

Initially we were planning on just doing the 5 day cruise because it was cheapest (we are planning to get an interior room by the way) but after some research about Progreso not being a favorite of many, I am reconsidering. I haven't totally sworn it off yet, but this forum seems to be 100% for it or 100% against it, so I can't decide!

 

My husband is someone who is not necessarily a thrill seeker, and I'm not really either, but one thing I would love to do is swim with dolphins - or really interact with any sea life at all. I love animals. I know that if I do something, he will tag along and probably have even more fun than me! Especially if I can keep him a little tipsy the entire time. ;)

 

We aren't the kind of people that are going to want to "do something" at every port - for example, swim with dolphins and parasail and shop and go to Mayan ruins and this and that. We aren't really "doers", I guess you could say, lol.

 

This is mostly going to be a relaxation cruise with just one or two real excursions (I say real excursions because I don't count an all inclusive beach pass for a few hours at Mr. Sancho's as an excursion - although I am interested in doing that!) peppered in.

 

I have read tons of reviews (mostly within the forums - not a huge fan of the "member reviews" section of the website because I love the personal pictures people post on here :) ) but I'm still having a hard time making a decision!

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

 

PS - I know I am for sure going with Carnival, so that's why I posted this in here instead of the new cruisers forum.

I'd recommend the La Casa in La Playa excursion in Cozumel if you really like a relaxing day. It is a very relaxing beach day. There's a private chef and drinks and food are included. The service on the beach and at the pool is excellent.

 

http://www.carnival.com/shore-excursions/cozumel-mexico/la-casa-en-la-playa-a-select-retreat-304169

 

Congratulations on your delayed honeymoon!