Rhapsody 17 June 07

[Nightrider]

Hello y'all!

Our second cruise leaves in 10 days.

From those cruisers out there that have been on the Cozumel, Costa Maya, Progresso and Roatan route, what was your favorite sight?

Would like to visit the better ruins, are there not so good ones?

We have twin 10 year old daughters and like for them to see real points of interest. Wasn't too impressed with Cozumel the last time, it's OK but my wife and I had just been in Maui the previous summer. I know, hard to compare the two.

I've searched the forum, but due to the incredible amount of posts it takes a lot of time to search sometimes. Sorry if the question is a constant repeat.

Thank you!

[232271]

too late to change the title BUT I would start a new post and title it more like

Tell me about Roatan, Progreso, ect...your titile makes it seem more like you want info about a certain date/ship.

 

we are on this cruise as well and have been dying to hear about the new ports as well.

 

good luck!:)

[frudutx]

The only thing I would warn you about is the heat. The ruins are not shaded and it becomes very hot even in June. If you decide to do the ruins make sure you takes lots of sunscreen and a hat with a wide brim.

 

d

[Nitra]

My take on these ports,

 

Roatan reminds me of Jamaica, so I cant help you much, I got off the ship, walked around a little bit, got annoyed with the people following us around, every shop has the same stuff, went back to the ship and stayed the rest of the day.

 

I hear the beaches are nice but I just have a thing about paying to get to a beach, taxi or whatever, when I am on a cruise ship and can enjoy the sun and water without going anywhere.

 

Costa Maya, been there a long time ago, did not get off the ship. There is a little shopping around right at the pier, otherwise you have to do an excursion or take a cab to go anywhere.

 

Cozumel, been there many times, walked around the area right at the pier, then hung out on the ship the rest of the day.

 

Progreso, first time there. They have free shuttles to take you into town, but if you do not want to wait and have a group of people get them to get a taxi for you. It is like a mini shuttle and we had 6 of us and it was 10 dollars total. We hung out at Corona Beach Club. There is a place to sit and have drinks and eat or you can hang out on the beach. It is right by places to shop and street vendors that are set up. We hung out and drank, then walked around and shopped a little, talked to the locals, and then got the free shuttle back to the ship.

 

Having a walking cast on did not help in being able to do much. I did not step foot onto the sand one time.

 

There is a lot to do in most ports, but it has mostly to do with beach, shopping, ruins, snorkeling, or diving. Those are the most popular things in each one. On our cruise there was a group of kids from some school, they were studying ruins in the class so they were on the cruise as a field trip and in each port they went to the various ruins.

[Lorij91]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=395593

 

Come on over to the rollcall, there's getting to be a bunch of us. I would also suggest looking at the Ports of Call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

for ideas on what to do in each of the ports.

 

Only a few days now, and we are all looking forward to it!

[vickiw0318]

I would think your twins would enjoy swimming with the dolphins in Cozumel or going to one of the beaches that have all the swim toys available.

 

I, too, am hoping to hear feedback on this itinerary since I have it booked for January.

[minpin04]

Hi,

I was on the 5/20 cruise that went to the same ports as you are. Like you, I was not impressed with Cozumel since I have been to 5 Hawaiian islands. We went to Paradise beach. It had nice sand and beautiful waters, lounge chairs but the view was of blow up toys like a rock wall and large trampoline like structure. I think it would have been a fun beach for kids but if I did it again, I'd opt for Nachi Cocom.

 

Roatan was great for us! The island has elevation and is very lush. We booked with a local campany and had a driver with us all day. We went to West End, then West Bay for snorkeling, then lunch followed by a drive to the east end highlands.

 

Costa Maya - we decided to go to the small town outside the cruise terminal. The beach was the typical Mexican beach, kinda narrow...I've been spoiled by the beaches in Hawaii. I'm so glad we went into town cause the cruise area was packed due to 2 ships in port and seemed to be more of a party place for the younger crowd. The pool looked too cloudy to be safe. If I had to do it over again, I'd go to a ruin instead. We went to Pez Quadro, had a few drinks, then returned to the ship.

 

Progresso - We went to Uxmal...it was fantastic but hot. I had visited Mayan ruins as a child and to experience it again as an adult was fantastic. The stonework is awesome. Our tour guide showed us around the grounds then we were free to explore for about 1.5 hours. It was not crowded and many photos were taken without any other people in it. I would recommend this if you want to see ruins and climb on one.

 

Kim

[Nightrider]

Thank you Kim,

That was exactly the type of feedback I was interested in. I've searched all over the internet and read all kinds of advertising, but it's just that, advertising.

 

Vicki,

For what they were charging in Cozumel in 05' to swim with the dolphins you could almost buy your own. I'm not real fond of the tourist exploitation of the natural wildlife.

 

We have our own gear for snorkeling and will be doing that wherever we stop. Not paying for that either.

 

Thank you all!

Can't wait to get going!

[minpin04]

Nightrider,

 

You'll find 2 kinds of beaches in Cozumel, sandy and rocky. The only ones that are good for snorkeling are the rocky ones.

 

Kim

[Crichard]

If you can spring it, I would go for the dolphin swim. If you book directly with the park, it is a lot cheaper. The park is less than 10 minutes from the ship and there are lots of cabs to bring you back and forth. We decided to spring for this trip like 5 years ago. Still to this day, when we are talking about vacations, both our children agree that the swim with the dophins was the best. I was nervous at first as to how safe this would be. They have an excellent program, and I do not regret spending the money at all. If you do it, be sure to print the coupon off of the net. Make reservations early, as it does book up. I promise you will not regret it!

Cathy