Excursions Advice - Getaway

[DolphinFan2017]

Hi, :)

My first time cruising and am seeking some advice on Excursions. Leaving 12/31/17. These are the Ports we will be stopping at. We have no limitations and are adventurous.

 

1. Roatan,Honduras

2. Harvest Cay, Belize

3. Costa Maya, Mexico

4. Cozumel, Mexioc

 

Any recommendations & tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance :)

[KarimaJ]

I would check on the Port of Call forums, lots of info there. This is what we did:

 

Roatan - Little French Key, loved it!

 

Harvest Cay - Not much, just swam in the pool, didn't like the beach the sand was rough with broken shells. Then it rained so we went back on the ship.

 

Costa Maya: The Mayan water park, it was fun waterslides and ziplines

 

Cozumel: Paradise Beach, very good time on the inflatables and the pool

[kathiewe]

We sailed on the Getaway last March and will be returning again this year. We loved our excursions last year and are expecting to love this year's just as much. We are doing the same one in Costa Maya because we are traveling with different family members and just know my inlaw's will absolutely love it and we liked it so much we know we will have fun a second time.

 

1. Roatan,Honduras

 

Last year -- Radical Adventures Sailing/Snorkeling/Lunch. It was awesome and I hope we are not making a mistake not going again this year, but DS really wants to see the sunken shipwreck. Its a small catamaran with only about 20 people. You have a nice relaxing sail for about 45 minutes out to snorkeling spot during which you are treated to muffins, fruit, and drinks. The snorkeling was OK...but lots of coral bleaching was sad to see. Then lunch was AMAZING!!!! Highly recommend!

 

This year -- Roatan Shipwreck Snorkeling & Beach Lunch. As mentioned my 10 year old really wants to snorkel on a shipwreck so that what we are going to do. Hoping its as great as Radical Adventures was last year.

 

2. Harvest Cay, Belize

 

Beach break. Its OK, but we live close to the beach in Venice, FL so its not a big deal for us. We'll likely get off, walk around the shops, relax, and then head back for lunch and chill time on the ship while it is less busy.

 

3. Costa Maya, Mexico

 

Mayan Experience tour from Native Choice. Really amazing! A tour of Mayan ruins and then visit to a local village where you are treated to a home cooked meal. It was recommended to us by my Dad and now we recommend it everyone else. If you love history and living culture this is a must do!

 

4. Cozumel, Mexico

 

Last year -- Self tour of the city, shopping, and lunch at the Thirsty Cougar. The highlight of this day was absolutely lunch--OMG such fresh ceviche, yummy ginger margaritta and other flavors, and authentic fish tacos. I love Mexican food and this was some of the best I have ever had.

 

This year -- Cozumel food tour. We have done a couple of food tours and they have always been great. We are looking forward to seeing what this one has for us.

---

No matter what you do, you will have a great time. The Getaway is a great ship!

 

Cheers!

[ILoveNaps]

Hi! I am cruising on the Getaway this Sunday and have spent more hours than I would care to admit researching excursions. This is my second cruise, so I am a fellow newbie.

 

I chose to book private excursions instead of ship excursions. The cost is usually a decent amount less and, according to the majority of experienced cruisers on this site, the experience is usually far better. Booking private excursions can be risky since the ship will not wait for you if you do not make it back in time, but since we are scheduled to be at each port for at least 8 hours, I am not too concerned about that. Additionally, I booked with reputable tour companies whose businesses are built on getting their cruisers back to the ship with more than enough time before departure.

 

Your interests may differ from mine, but here is what I have booked:

 

1. Roatan - A private "design your own" tour through Victor Bodden Tours. I e-mailed them yesterday and told them that my boyfriend and I are interested in general sightseeing, a visit to a sloth and monkey sanctuary, a snorkeling excursion, perhaps a visit to the iguana farm, and lunch. I also explained that my parents would be joining us and that my father is mobility-impaired, so I would need to know if these were things he could partake in. Victor responded quickly with advice, recommendations and even offered to drop me and my boyfriend off to snorkel and taking my parents to do something more suitable for their physical abilities while we are on the boat. I was really impressed. He also said that we could add, change or remove activities as the day went on. I love that it is so private, customizable and that we will not have to worry about slowing any more able-bodied cruisers down on a ship excursion. Plus, all of this is going to cost less than any of the excursions offered through the ship do. Check them out at http://www.boddentours.com.

 

2. Harvest Caye - None of the ship excursions looked very appealing to us, so we will probably either stay on the ship or hang out on Harvest Caye for semi-free (food and drinks there cost money). It is my understanding that there is no way to do excursions through any private operators (or if there is, doing so is risky, since you need to catch a ferry to and from the mainland and could possibly get left behind).

 

3. Costa Maya - My boyfriend and I booked a trip to the Chacchoben ruins through Native Choice. You can do this through the ship, but Native Choice was highly recommended on these boards. We really wanted to do the "Chacchoben Extreme" tour, which combines the ruins with relaxing and kayaking at a pretty lake afterwards, but I waited too long to book and there are no more spots available on it. I believe the Kohunlich-Dzibanche ruins are more impressive than Chacchoben, but it is a much longer drive there and we did not want to be holed up in a van for half of the day. If you do want to do the Kohunlich-Dzibanche ruins, it is probably best to do it through the ship since it is a long trip--otherwise you run the risk of the ship leaving without you if you do not get back in time. Visit https://www.thenativechoice.com for more info about their excursions.

 

4. Cozumel - I was torn between the Amazing Secret River (my friend went and said it was really cool) and snorkeling again, but my boyfriend wanted to snorkel. I researched a bunch of different private operators. The most highly regarded seem to be Cozumel H20, Chi Chi Charters, and Mystic Snorkel. However, after looking at Cozumel H20's website and seeing their Discover Scuba excursion, we decided to do that instead of snorkeling. We thought it would be an exciting new thing to try since we are already snorkeling in Roatan. I e-mailed them yesterday, received a quick response, and finalized all the details today for a two-tank boat dive. I'm very excited. Visit http://www.cozumelh2o.com for more.

 

Unfortunately I cannot tell you how any of these excursions turned out yet, but if you search these boards and Trip Advisor, you will see a ton of excellent reviews.

 

I hope this helps. And since you are a Dolphins fan, I will conclude this message with a passionate "Go Bills!" Yes, I'm still living in the 90's.