First Timer Questions About Excursions

[DDinNC]

Hi! I am going on my first ever cruise this Nov. and I am very excited!:D I have been looking over this MB and have already gotten some great advice! We are cruising on the Majesty out of Charleston. There will be 6 of us in our group. My questions pertain to the excursions....I have been looking at several and I know we want to do as much as possible with the time we are allowed.

In Key West, would you take the time to Parasail or would you recommend something else?

What about the Sting ray trip? I am thinking this is something we wouldn't get the chance to do again...worth it?

Also we have one person who has had a stroke and although she gets around great she does tire easily. Any advice we can give her?

What other "must do" things should we do?

[CruisingToads]

I just got off the jewel from my first cruise...so from a 1st time cruisers perspective...do as much as you can but take time to enjoy!

 

I have parasailed before not on the cruise, but down at the beach. Its a neat experience, but in all actuality when on a tour with a group, each person only gets 5-10 maybe 15 minutes of airtime depending on how many you have on your boat with you. The rest of the time you are on the boat watching others parasail. Its fun...but not worth the excursion prices if you ask me.

 

Our friend swam with the stingrays in port one day (I think it was at Antigua) and they loved it. They got some great picutures as well. I would choose that one over the other one.

 

As far as your friend. I dont have specific suggestions, but there was plenty of down time for us. We took time to enjoy our balcony and just hang out.

 

Have fun, your gonna have a blast.

[silkhair1]

We did a snorkel and stingray tour. We actually got to swim with the stingrays. It was great! We got great pictures! Have a great time!

[nursebubba]

When you travel with a group you can plan your own excursions and get great rates. We have be to Grand Cayman 4 times and always seem to be with someone who has not done stingray city so we do it again. It is an experience of a lifetime. It is not like any other area with stingray. For years the fishermen would catch and clean the fish and throw overboard what they did not want. The stingray started to come into the are (known as North Sound) and then it became a tourist spot because they let you touch them and feed them if you want. Most of this trip is in the vehicle to the boat and in the boat so the person with the stroke would like it. My mom was ill for her last three cruises and we would always start by hiring a driver so she could go back and rest. I am not sure where all you go but consider that. Key West has a small open air train you get tickets to on land that is kind of corny but was perfect the first time we were there. Other than that it can be pretty tiring as there is a lot of walking. You can get off the ship and have lunch and shop right nearby though if you want. One time I did a snorkel trip in Key West- not really very good as we were spoiled by cozumel and grand cayman. I would not do pairisailing. You can do that on any beach vacation unless it is the one thing you really want to do. I don't know what your other stops are so that is about all I can tell you. Sorry this was so long.

[DDinNC]

We are doing the Western Carribean Cruise. I think it is Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Key West. Thanks for the advice, I think I will try to talk them into Parasailing somewhere closer to home. My DH is a scuba diver and I would love for him to be able to take the time to dive at least one time. Which place would you reccomend we look into for that? Also how far in advance can we book through the ship?

Thanks for your patience with all the questions!

[electricron]

Cozumel is one of the premiere places in the world for diving.

[homeofthedogs]

DDinNC when do you sail in November? We, along with 4 other couples are sailing on the Majesty Nov 25th-Dec 2nd. This website is the very best for cruise info. I've gotten lots of great info for our trip.

[nursebubba]

There is a place in Cozumel that you take a short taxi ride to called Chankanaab Lagoon. It probably is the best place we have ever snorkeled. You walk down some steps and they are everywhere. I would think he could dive there also. Both Grand Cayman and Cozumel have great dive opportunities. You should see if you could do a combo inGC with stingray city and also going to a reef. Another thing in GC if they don't want to get wet is the Turtle Farm. We have never done it as it is so much better in the water. I would think you could book your excursions now if you want. The one nice thing about booking through the ship inGC is you then are guaranteed 1st off the ship.

[Host CMLA]

My questions pertain to the excursions....

If you'd like recommendations for NCL excursions from past cruisers, this is the place for answers. If you want to book excursions on your own, please visit the individual ports of call boards for each port. You'll get the best information from more people on those boards. Good luck!

[DDinNC]

Homeofthedogs,

That must be when we are going....we leave out of Charleston the Sat. after Thanksgiving. I don't have the exact dates in front of me but that has to be the same cruise! What a small world. I see you have been on several cruises. Have you ever done this one? The MB has been great for info! I am a planner and must know as much as possible about where I am going before I go! :) It drives my friends crazy right up until we get to wherever we are going and then they really appreciate the homework I've done:D :D

 

I really don't want to be a pest but I am sure I will have a LOT more questions along the way!

 

Thanks again to everyone for their advice. I'll check out the other board for other options as well.

[mousey]

I could be wrong but last I read on these boards is that Chankanaab in Cozumel is closed because of damage from the storm. Check with NCL to see if they have tours going there. Last year we went on a curise during Spring Break to some of the same ports you are going to. In Grand Cayman my 10-yr old son, my husband and I swam with the Sting Rays. It was the highlight of our trip and something we well always remember. We were mesmerized by them. They are so beautiful. I would recommend this above anything use you have a choice to do!

[homeofthedogs]

DDinNC, I've never been on the Majesty before. We picked this ship because it is close to our home in Concord, NC. Where are you from? We plan to go down the day before and get a hotel that will transport us to and from the cruise terminal. Haven't decided which one yet.

In Grand Cayman we will do the stingray city tour. Cozumel we will probably go to one of the beaches first, then head downtown to party at Carlos and Charlies. It's a fun bar!!!

Key West will be walking around doing the tourist thing and visiting the popular bars. Got to see the sunset!

[Post Cruise Blues]

Go to the dock behind Mallory Square and look for the Afrayed Knot ..... My wife and I did a tatem parasail for $75 ....... The guys were great and we had so much fun ..............

 

[DDinNC]

First of all I live pretty close to you.... I live in Newton! Secondly, we were thinking of getting a hotel in Charleston as well but haven't decided yet. I am thinking that the price difference for parking would make up for the room cost *G*

I am so excited about the sting ray tour! I showed my DH some pics from past cruisers and he is ready to go as well! *L* Thank you for you help! I hope I won't bother you too much with all my questions!

 

We will definitely have to keep in touch while we plan our trip and maybe meet up on the ship!

[DDinNC]

Thanks for the info! I will definitely check them out!

[Post Cruise Blues]

What a small world ........ We live in Statesville ......... We were on the Majesty in December and had the best time .......... Rented a scooter in Cozumel, went around the whole island and stopped off at Paradise Beach .......Parasailed in Key West, then caught the sunset ....... The guys that took us parasailing told us about a place to watch the sunset .... It was sort of overlooking Mallory Square, but without the crowd ........ There were maybe 15-20 people there, a bar serving drinks and a guy playing guitar and singing ....... It was awesome ........ We stayed at the Radisson in Charleston ........ For less than the price of parking at the pier, we had a great room and a hot breakfast ......... You can leave your car there for the duration of the cruise and they shuttle you to the pier when you leave and pick you up and bring you back to the hotel when you return .......

[OldNavy]

DD. We did the Majesty last year and had a very nice cruise. We did all the same stops as you'll be doing. If your DH wants to do a great, safe dive, I'd highly recommend diving with http://www.cozumelsports.com. Cozumel has some awesome diving (been there many times) and the rest of the family can shop or snorkle with your DH while he dives. Eduardo runs a great dive boat and your DH will get to dive a fantastic reef system. You can all do the snorkle with the stingrays tour in Grand Cayman which would be terrific for everyone and is loads of fun. As far as Key West is concerned, I'd recommend taking the trolly tour around town and then just walk around some after. The tour will show you all that you'll prob want to see anyway.

We stayed the night in Charleston at the 'new' Hilton. I HIGHLY recommend. For just over the cost of parking at the pier, you can stay the night and they'll keep your car while you're away. Also, they'll take you to the ship and pick you up, it's great! Get up early and have breakfast while you watch the Majesty come in and tie up. Use the morning to take a carriage tour of 'old town', it is beautiful.

[DDinNC]

Your last sentence spoke to my heart! *LOL* I LOVE carriage rides and hubby did promise me one the last time we were there but it fell through...so I think that's what we'll do!

 

Thanks again for all the advice! I think he is really looking forward to the dive!

[DDinNC]

My stepmom really wants to go parasailing...we had almost talked ourselves out of it....but you may have swayed us again! *G* Thanks for your advice and I am sure as it gets closer to our departure date I'll be asking tons of more questions!