UHHS Posted November 4, 2007 #1 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Hi: We will be going to our 1st cruise in 2 weeks but I have not booked any excursion yet. We are family of 5 with children 4-9 years. Our ports will be Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Free port. We would like to do 2-3 excursions of the 4 ports. I tried to read posts about different ports but there is too much information for me to digest. If you have been to this route, could you kindly recommend some excursions for me? Either through Carnival or indipendent. Thanks much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbean dreams Posted November 4, 2007 #2 Share Posted November 4, 2007 WOW, so much to do.....so little time:eek: OK..in Roatan you kids might enjoy the butterfly farm or the glass bottom boat ride, or the iguana farm. In Belize i suggest you take the ships excution out to the Cays and spend the day at the beach. Or on the main island they also have a childrens cave tubing trip that they would probably love Cozumel has really good shore snorkeling at Chankanaab park, easy water access and lots of shade to take an afternoon nap. here are a few websites that may help you. Cozumel http://www.grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/CozumelShoreExcursions.htm Roatan http://www.roatanonline.com/roatan_shore_excursions.htm Belize http://www.belizecruiseexcursions.com/ I have been to all 3 ports and Roatan is my favorite:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitown cruisers Posted November 4, 2007 #3 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Paradise beach in Coz.......cheap beach day on your own Belize......cavetubing.com AWESOME!! I can't wait to get my kids on a western itin to show them these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsnider Posted November 4, 2007 #4 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Are you going on the 17th November cruise? My entire family is going (26 people all ages...3-69) and we booked all excursions through private companies. Still looking for Roatan/Freeport. We booked a scuba/Discover Scuba/snorkel for our group in Cozumel. I think we took every boat, but it is through Eagle Ray Divers. They have been awesome communicating. In Belize we are cave tubing/zip line with a Nacho and Cynthia. Anyone have recommendations for Roatan and Freeport? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerbks Posted November 4, 2007 #5 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Although Belize is beautiful, it does not offer much in the vicinty of the port. We took the Bannister Caye beach excursion. Relatively inexpensive, and a great day at the beach with a play area for kids. You can view lots of pictures at Flickr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrib1964 Posted November 4, 2007 #6 Share Posted November 4, 2007 My advice to you is... Cozumel is the place to shop (with the most variety, and not all repetitive from shop to shop). But, stay away from the cruiseline recommended places, as they are over-priced and very pushy. Be adventurous and check out the markets that run between and behind the buildings. It's well worth it. Since you have children with you...I would avoid Senor Frog's and Carlos & Charlie's...they are all about the alcohol. A great place for lunch would be Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Yes, they serve alcohol, and yes it is semi-expensive...but it is also fun for the kids. Belize...as the previous poster stated...there is NOTHING to do in the port except shop. I would recommend definitely doing an excursion here. Some of our group did the cave-tubing and LOVED it. Roatan...We did the Tabyana beach excursion here, and rented snorkel equipment at the beach for $15 for 2 hours. This was an incredible experience. HOWEVER...we were also told that the zipline her was AMAZING, and wished we had done that. Freeport...was SADLY lacking. We were SO disappointed in the shopping here, as this is the place that I was referring to when I said "repetitive from shop to shop". Everything was the SAME. SO...we took a taxi service (also run buses and vans) to Port Lucaya...the shopping there is SO much better, and across from the market there is a free beach that is beautiful. You will love the Glory. It is an awesome ship, lots of food, plenty of activities for the kiddos, and we never had problems getting deck chairs or waiting in lines. I hope you have a GREAT time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UHHS Posted November 4, 2007 Author #7 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Thank you all for your great suggestions! I am now checking out the excursions you mentioned. Please let me know if you have additional suggestions for excursion or Glory. With young children, should we cook the early dinner? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UHHS Posted November 4, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I meant to "book" the early dinner:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted November 4, 2007 #9 Share Posted November 4, 2007 In Belize I saw a website for Xtreme Cavetubing for kids. I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Xtreme is the name of the company not the type of tour:p Based on everything I have seen. In Roatan either go on a guided excursion or stay on the ship. (go on an excursion) If you don't get away from the port area, people report the place as horrible, but the people who do get away love it. Cozumel looks like the best place to save money and just have a beach day. No reason to book a tour. No ideas about Freeport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted November 4, 2007 #10 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Another possibility if your children really like Camp Carnival (and most do) is that you and DH could hit a port without them and do something you might not choose if they were with you. (Based on my experience with the very young children their favorite part of any vacation is the pool anyway):D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrib1964 Posted November 4, 2007 #11 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I would NOT book the early dinner. I would hate for you all to feel like you have to rush back to the ship to get everyone ready for dinner, and possibly fit in much-needed naps (for the grown ups as well as the short people) :rolleyes: . My opinion is to book the late dinner, and go to the Lido buffet, or to the pizza stand, when you get back on board, and eat enough to tide you over until dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AerynSun_JohnCrighton Posted November 4, 2007 #12 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I meant to "book" the early dinner:-) It depends. Do you normally eat around 6pm? We usually do Early dinner, as 8pm is too late for us.. we tried it once, as we normally eat around 6, we filled up on snacks, didn't eat much at dinner, and missed all the nighttime activities... so again it depends... as far as the other poster mentioning about not feeling 'rushed' we never had a problem but it also depends on what you are gonna do. So, weigh the pros and cons and decide. I've done the Cave Tubing in Belize...it was a BLAST! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patinthehat Posted November 4, 2007 #13 Share Posted November 4, 2007 In Belize, if you're doing cave tubing (which I highly recommend), try to find one with a hike through the rain forest as well. It's a really great ecological experience to walk for 45 mins to 1 hour in a humid rain forest, then cool down in a cool river cave :):) In Cozumel, we like to go to a nice beach with lots of watersports, like a water trampoline and a giant iceberg. That way, it can be relaxing, and also lots of fun for the kids. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrib1964 Posted November 4, 2007 #14 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Hi: We will be going to our 1st cruise in 2 weeks but I have not booked any excursion yet. We are family of 5 with children 4-9 years. Our ports will be Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Free port. We would like to do 2-3 excursions of the 4 ports. I tried to read posts about different ports but there is too much information for me to digest. If you have been to this route, could you kindly recommend some excursions for me? Either through Carnival or indipendent. Thanks much! UHHS...be sure and come back after your cruise and let us know what you decided to do, and what you thought. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajules Posted November 4, 2007 #15 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Got off Glory western on 10/27. Here are some suggestions: Cozumel - if you like shopping, this is definitely the place, losts of places around the downtown plaza. Chankanaab park is great with kids, we went there on our first cruise - snorkel area, swimming lagoon, nature trail, restaurant. Belize - we went to see the ruins at Altun Ha with an independent excursion. It was fascinating. Some friends on the ship took a taxi to Cabbage Beach and loved it. Roatan - book a tour with Victor Bodden. You can check him out on line. He will take you anywhere you want to go on the island. We ziplined, saw the spider monkeys and anteater as his house, checked out Half Moon Bay for lunch and did a bit of shopping (it was rainy and the water too choppy for beach time). We were going to stop at the iguana farm but it was raining and they were hiding. Freeport - take a taxi to Lucaya Beach. Nice beach area and some a great shopping area across the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidless Posted November 4, 2007 #16 Share Posted November 4, 2007 cave tubing in Belize it is awesome!!! I have never known anyone who didn't love it. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UHHS Posted November 6, 2007 Author #17 Share Posted November 6, 2007 Thank you all so much for your great suggestions! I will bring a laptop and write a trip review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amandachit Posted November 6, 2007 #18 Share Posted November 6, 2007 We just did the Glory western on the 10-20-07 sailing. We took our boys (2 and 7). It was fabulous. There was so much to do. Cozumel, we went to paradise beach. It was great. $13 cab to get there. $9 per person for a bracelet that lets you bounce on the tramps, climb the iceberg and all that stuff (they do have life jackets if you want them). They have a web page that has a lot of information. Oh, the massage on the beach was wonderful as were the drinks. We had front row seats on the beach and a waiter that got anything that we needed. It was nice. Great for kids 4 and over. Belize. We used Nacho from NCQ Adventure Tours (you can google them). We asked him what we should do with kids and he recommended a cave tubing tour and zoo tour. He was right they were great. he picked us up at the port doors with a new van. He even provided a car seat for our 2 year old. He drove us to the tubing and his wife went with us and the guide on the tour. It was fabulous. My boys loved it. Then we had lunch at the restaurant of the resort (included in the price). We then took a drive to the zoo and had a great tour there. So many animals that I have never heard of, let alone seen. At the end of our time they took us back to the port and told us where to get our trinkets. I felt like we left family when we had to say good bye to them. They were the best. Roatan- we were going to go to a resort called "Fins and Flippers" at the suggestion of our waiter. He said that for $20 per person we could spend time on the private island, swim and enjoy the offerings of the resort. He told us to exit the ship and go to the first pier to the right that had a covered hut and a boat would transport us. He did this many times and said it was great. Our day was total rain though and we did not do any of it. Freeport- We went to the Lucaya Beach. It was nice. Beautiful sand. Not really any close drink service or food that day, but it was a little rainy and we were there early. The Camp Carnival services were great. My kids had a fabulous time. The counselors were top notch. WE chose a late dinner so that we could leave the kids in the Camp and have a nice quiet dinner. It worked out perfectly. My boys really enjoyed all the activities. If you have any other questions, please let me know. It is all so fresh in my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandi1967 Posted November 6, 2007 #19 Share Posted November 6, 2007 We on going on the Glory on July 26 2008 with our 5 kids. Their ages range from 3-15. I love reading all the advice from this thread. I have been reading about the cave tubing in Belize and it sounds great. Will our 3 year old be able to do that? Paradise beach sounds just as awesome.....fun for the kids and relaxing for the parents! Take care, sandi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amandachit Posted November 6, 2007 #20 Share Posted November 6, 2007 It depends on your tour operator. Nacho took us, including my 2 year old. He was fine. He used a life jacket and sat on our laps. A 4 year old could probably go in their own tube, just be hooked on to someones feet. It is lots of fun and quite a different tour. Our boys thought that it as so cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UHHS Posted November 8, 2007 Author #21 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Wow, so many helpful suggestions! Thank you all very much! wsnider: I booked with Nacho as well. So I will see you there. I am debating whether to do canopy zip line in Roatan. It seems very popular on the Roatan board and people recommended highly. I can not even handle rollercoasters so I imagine zip line may be too much for me. The guide said he can take us aroud if some of us don't zip. What is your experience with South Shore Zipline? Is it something that definitely should not be missed or are there better choices for this island? Again, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanG Posted November 8, 2007 #22 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Hi: We will be going to our 1st cruise in 2 weeks but I have not booked any excursion yet. We are family of 5 with children 4-9 years. Our ports will be Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Free port. We would like to do 2-3 excursions of the 4 ports. I tried to read posts about different ports but there is too much information for me to digest. If you have been to this route, could you kindly recommend some excursions for me? Either through Carnival or indipendent. Thanks much! It looks like you are going on the Glory 11/17. Come join us on the roll call. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=426575 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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