Need Some Excursion Help

[CruiseRook91]

Hello All - Looking for some advice on excursions for our upcoming cruise. My fiancé (will be wife at setsail) and I generally don’t book excursions as we had one bad experience and frankly we make our own fun most of the time. However, I am looking to book some for our upcoming Oasis Cruise.

 

We are doing Labadee, Cozumel, and Foulmoth. I was thinking for Labadee we would probably just do a beach day since we are in a suite and will have access to the suite only area which can negate me having to pay to go to one of those all access beaches at one of the other ports.

 

For the other two I’d love to do something adventurous like swimming with dolphins or zip lines or something along those lines. As well as some type of sand bar/island excursion.

 

Does anyone have any must do or great reviews? Any suggestions to mix things up from my current plan?

[Skippy]

For Labadee, if we just want to do the beach, do we need to book the excursion or can we just get off the ship and go to the beach? It’s not clear from the shore excursion page.

[Langley Cruisers]

For Labadee, if we just want to do the beach, do we need to book the excursion or can we just get off the ship and go to the beach? It’s not clear from the shore excursion page.

 

Labadee is a private peninsula belonging to Royal Caribbean. You may walk off the ship and go to a beach without having to book anything.

[cb at sea]

Labadee is the private beach...it's an extension of the ship. No excursion needed there. It's a beach day! They have plenty of stuff for you to spend lots of money...but that's totally unneeded!

Falmouth is a "cruise created" port...nothing much there, unless you want to shop or eat off the ship. Research that area of Jamaica...some things will only take a cab ride....others might require an excursion...read up on Jamaica.

Coz is a pretty easy DIY port...again...RESEARCH is KEY to having a good time wherever you go! Never go on a trip and know nothing about where you're going!

[gatour]

Yes Labadee is pretty much a beach day but it also has a zip line. Cozumel and Jamaica have swim with dolphins.

 

Hello All - Looking for some advice on excursions for our upcoming cruise. My fiancé (will be wife at setsail) and I generally don’t book excursions as we had one bad experience and frankly we make our own fun most of the time. However, I am looking to book some for our upcoming Oasis Cruise.

 

We are doing Labadee, Cozumel, and Foulmoth. I was thinking for Labadee we would probably just do a beach day since we are in a suite and will have access to the suite only area which can negate me having to pay to go to one of those all access beaches at one of the other ports.

 

For the other two I’d love to do something adventurous like swimming with dolphins or zip lines or something along those lines. As well as some type of sand bar/island excursion.

 

Does anyone have any must do or great reviews? Any suggestions to mix things up from my current plan?

[Ron Don]

Congratulations on the new marriage!! We have done some private trips on Jamaica and have been our most favorite times. You might google some local tour companies and ask for a guide named Courtney.....he was fantastic...gave us a real local tour of Jamaica that we had never seen before. Loved it.

[LeeW]

Check the Jamaica and Cozumel boards for lots of ideas. Blue Hole, tubing, Dunns River Falls for activities, Rose Hall or Jewel for all-inclusives https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=111

 

Coz has dolphins, snorkeling, 4x4 trips, all-inclusives https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=210

[vacationlover_mn]

My advice on Labadee... I love doing a beach day there! Have also done the shopping area twice, but will avoid it in the future. We don't need any more souvenirs from there, and the vendors are very, very, very pushy! I say- do it once, just to experience it, but if you skip it, no biggie :) Also, if you have a drink package, you can use it there for free drinks-> note, the drinks in fancy souvenir glasses are no longer free, so we skip them now. There is also a free lunch there.

[poncho1973]

COZUMEL

 

Another poster created this:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=199M8GF2gDFkAt3Ea58x23-expWs&ll=20.49867670344594%2C-86.87105697021485&z=13

 

It shows all the main things people do there.

 

We have been many times and don't book excursions, we just take a cab wherever we decide to go. The exception being Isla Pasion, which you have to take a water route to get to. It's cheaper just to do it on your own but MAKE SURE YOU STAY ON SHIP'S TIME BECAUSE IT ISN'T ALWAYS THE SAME IN COZUMEL. Cozumel is a freak of nature port. Sometimes the ship's time matches, sometimes it doesn't.

 

We've been to: (our personal rating out of the 5 we've been to)

Isla Pasion (#4)

Mr. Sanchos ( #1)

Paradise Beach (#2)

Playa Mia (#5 too many kids)

Chankanaab (#3)

 

 

You just have to figure out what you want.

1. Someone with an alcoholic drink package would probably not want an all-inclusive because they get free drinks on the ship.
   
2. Someone who will not eat off the ship, likewise wouldn't want that.
   
3. If you are into water toys, a lot of those places have those, but Playa Mia has the best.
   
4. If you want seclusion, personally I'd chose Isla Pasion
   
5. If you want animals go to Chankanaab. They have swimming with dolphins, manatees, a sea lion show, lots of birds, a nature walk, etc.
   
6. Mr. Sanchos has both all-inclusive and pay-as-you-go
   

Others recommend Nachi Cocum, but we haven't tried it.

 

I would strongly recommend looking at that map I linked (that poster did a great job) and look at all the options.

 

Carnival & Royal (and sister brands to each) park their ships down at the 2 piers more South. He has them labeled Puerta Maya (Carnival brands) and TMM (Royal brands) but I've always heard TMM called International Pier and have never heard TMM.

 

Disney, Norwegian, and other park at the old pier up by the ferry landing. It's called Punta Langosta. Taxi rides are always much higher up there, as I've learned on DCL/NCL trips.

[az_2_nc2013]

If you enjoy snorkeling, or are interested in trying it, I HIGHLY recommend booking a snorkeling excursion independently through CozumelH2O! They are very highly rated on TripAdvisor, and my husband and I had a fantastic time with them when we were in Coz- we would absolutely snorkel with them again. It was about a 4-ish hour trip altogether, and they take you to multiple reefs, with plenty of snorkel time at each. They also include snacks and the staff are very friendly and helpful! The dock where we met was very close to the port, and there were no issues with timing as they work frequently with cruise passengers. Good luck and have fun!

[Sports Mama]

Definitely agree with previous post, while at Cozumel a snorkeling excursion is a must. Cozumel is one of the best diving/snorkeling sites in the world. We actually scuba dove and snorkeled at many caribbean islands over the years and I believe Cozumel is one of the best places to dive or snorkel. There are many reputable companies in Cozumel to snorkel or dive with. The best snorkeling will be from a boat. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!