First Time Cruiser - Freedom

[jkeitch]

I've been browsing the forums for about a week now but decided to register to ask a few questions myself.

 

Me and my wife are planning on booking a western caribbean cruise in February on the Freedom of the Seas. Ports of Call are Labadee, Ocho Rios, St Martin (i think) and Cozumal. We'll be sailing out of Miami.

 

Okay, now to my questions. We were wanting to save some money by booking excursions on our own but it doesn't seem like too many people do that. Is it advised against doing this?

 

The only excursion we for sure want to is Dunn Falls and rafting down White River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Aside from that, either a first time scuba diving trip or a snorkeling trip on one of the other stops. Any recommendations?

 

How early can you drop your luggage off at the port? We will be flying in to Miami fairly early in the morning and if we don't have to lug our suitcases around all day it would make things easier.

 

We are also considering staying in Miami and extra 1-2 days after the cruise ends. Can anyone recommend an affordable place to stay (about $100 or cheaper)? I may repost this question with a more appropriate heading.

 

Thanks for listening.

JK

[camperhawk]

:) Hello and welcome to cruise critic! I actually thinking you will be going to Labadee, Ocho Rios,Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong!:D I never do ship excursions, always do my research and read the port boards on this site for recommendations. I did Soto's in Grand Cayman for a stingray excursion, Ocho rios ..I always use Know Jamaica.com for Marva and her son Javia for falls, river tubing and a wonderful tour this last time to get to know the real Jamaica! Cozumel is one of my most favorite places, love Paradise Beach, just get a cab! Have not seen Labadee as of yet, as I have sailed Princess lately and have gone to their island Princess Cays. Be prepared though that The Grand cayman day could be changed if the seas are too rough to tender in! Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise! Our very first cruise was on RCCL and got me Hooked!

[Dockman123]

I've been browsing the forums for about a week now but decided to register to ask a few questions myself.

 

Me and my wife are planning on booking a western caribbean cruise in February on the Freedom of the Seas. Ports of Call are Labadee, Ocho Rios, St Martin (i think) and Cozumal. We'll be sailing out of Miami.

 

Okay, now to my questions. We were wanting to save some money by booking excursions on our own but it doesn't seem like too many people do that. Is it advised against doing this?

 

The only excursion we for sure want to is Dunn Falls and rafting down White River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Aside from that, either a first time scuba diving trip or a snorkeling trip on one of the other stops. Any recommendations?

 

How early can you drop your luggage off at the port? We will be flying in to Miami fairly early in the morning and if we don't have to lug our suitcases around all day it would make things easier.

 

We are also considering staying in Miami and extra 1-2 days after the cruise ends. Can anyone recommend an affordable place to stay (about $100 or cheaper)? I may repost this question with a more appropriate heading.

 

Thanks for listening.

JK

 

Our last cruise went through Ocho Rios. We chose to use a private excursion and couldn't of had a better time. We used Phil Layfayette. I would highly recommend him.

 

As far as how early you can drop off luggage I am not sure. We flew in the day before and stayed at the Holiday Inn right by the port. We checked out of the hotel at 11am and headed straight to the ship. We were checked in and eating lunch in the windjammer by 1145 am.

[camperhawk]

jk, just keep reading a wealth of info on this site!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

[Mocorobabe]

We often take private tour and have never had any problems. I think that lots of people do it as the ship tours are way over priced.

 

You are traveling "in season" That means that hotel/motel prices are really high!!! It so happens that February is considered one of the busiest "snow bird" months. Sorry.

 

Mocorobabe

[Dr. VP]

We just cruised F.O.S. and the western swing for the second time (1/6/08). In terms of excursions, G.C. has tons of good snokeling sites, including some that are just a walk from the pier. Dunn's Falls is an easy taxi ride. Cozumel has great beaches that are also an easy taxi ride.

 

In terms of SCUBA, of course you need to be certified to dive unless you are doing a "explore scuba" excursion where the conditions are controlled.

 

And you've gotten good advise - go to the "port of call" boards for more individual island information.

 

Happy cruising...

[Kdram]

We are sailing on Freedom in 2 days, but I can't tell you much about savings on excursions because we booked ours through RCI. My reason was this time of the year, the sea may be rough and just in case for some reasons if we skip a port due to weather, RCI will refund the money to us. I am not sure if private outfitter will offer any refund. We did book our pre- and post- cruise stays through Hotwire.com and got Holidayinn-Airport West for $75 per night (taxes included). The hotel is a bit far from the port, but it offers free airport shuttle and charges $12 pp transportation to Port of Miami. Hope this helps.

[jkeitch]

Thank you all for your advice. I'll have to check out the tour guides that were suggested in Ocho Rios.

 

Also thanks for pointing out hotwire.com. I've never heard of that site before.

 

JK

[cruisincanadians]

JK

 

I would recommend Cozumel for Diving if you are picking a port. My DH is a diver and has dived all over the world and Cozumel is still his favorite place!

[cb at sea]

You should be able to start boarding around 11-11:30 am. So by the time your flight lands, you retrieve your bags, get a cab and get to the ship, you should be close to boarding, unless your flight gets in at 7am!!!! And, since you're staying in Miami after the cruise, there's really no rush in sightseeing prior to the cruise. You've paid for the use of the ship and boarding day is day 1! Get onboard, explore and enjoy!

[BillOh]

I've been browsing the forums for about a week now but decided to register to ask a few questions myself.

 

Me and my wife are planning on booking a western caribbean cruise in February on the Freedom of the Seas. Ports of Call are Labadee, Ocho Rios, St Martin (i think) and Cozumal. We'll be sailing out of Miami.

Thanks for listening.

JK

 

 

That's probably Grand Caymen, St Martin would be on the Eastern route. Do you have a date in mind? We only need 4 more people for our meet and Mingle :)

[jkeitch]

Yes, Grand Cayman was the port i was thinking of. We are planning on booking an inside cabin on Feb 17th.

 

I'm just trying to work out flights from Seattle (and maybe a car to Seattle from Vancouver, BC.) and a hotel room for 1-2 nights in Miami. You guys weren't kidding about high season rates.

 

Is it possible to sign-up for excursions after arriving on the islands?

[Cuizer2]

Me and my wife are planning on booking a western caribbean cruise in February on the Freedom of the Seas. Ports of Call are Labadee, Ocho Rios, St Martin (i think) and Cozumal. We'll be sailing out of Miami.

 

Okay, now to my questions. We were wanting to save some money by booking excursions on our own but it doesn't seem like too many people do that. Is it advised against doing this?

 

The only excursion we for sure want to is Dunn Falls and rafting down White River in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Aside from that, either a first time scuba diving trip or a snorkeling trip on one of the other stops. Any recommendations?

 

How early can you drop your luggage off at the port? We will be flying in to Miami fairly early in the morning and if we don't have to lug our suitcases around all day it would make things easier.

 

We are also considering staying in Miami and extra 1-2 days after the cruise ends. Can anyone recommend an affordable place to stay (about $100 or cheaper)? I may repost this question with a more appropriate heading.

 

Thanks for listening.

JK

I just did this itinerary on the Freedom in June 2007. And I did this same itinerary on the Navigator of the Seas in August 2004. I wrote a review from my Freedom cruise. You can read it by clicking on the link below ...

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=30442

 

I took a ship sponsored river tubing excursion in Jamaica in August 2004 ...

 

 

and we did Dunn's River Falls through the ship in June 2007 ...

 

 

 

 

As a first timer I would recommend against booking your own shore excursions. Yes, you can save some money booking an independent tour, but you are already heading for a new experience. At this point you don't know all the things to watch out for. For example, some of these ports are in a different time zone than the ship, so you have to allow for the time difference if you book on your own. Also, if you are on a ship sponsored tour and the tour is late, the ship will wait for you. If you are on an independent tour and the tour is late, the ship will not wait for you.

 

That said, if you want to go to Stingray City in Grand Cayman, Captain Marvin and Native Way get excellent reviews. I went to Stingray City as a ship sponsored tour in August 2004 and had a great time. I went with Captain Marvin in June 2007 and it was no better (no worse either). However, Captain Marvins was less expensive. Note, I have heard that Captain Marvin might be looking to sell his business and retire.

 

Everything in Labadee is ship sponsored, since it is a private beach owned by Royal Caribbean.

 

My experience with ship tours (I have been on eight cruises) is that they are at least good. Without proper research you don't know about the quality of the independent tours. As a first timer I would suggest you treat the extra cost of the ship sponsored tour as insurance.

 

Most likely you will not be able to drop off your luggage at the ship until around 11:00am. The porters are not going to take your luggage until they get everyone off the ship from the prior cruise. If you arrive too early, I suggest going to the Bayside Marketplace, which is on the left side in the photo below. The Freedom's dock in about in the middle of the photo ...

 

[Ronnie3750]

You will love your Freedom experience. Our family had a great time on the Dec 23 sailing. Back a couple of weeks now in the dark and cold. Can't wait to return to the Caribbean.

 

Anyway, we did ship tours in Ocho Rios, but as you will see here, many people recommend a number of private tours. You can also check out the boards for each port to see all the discussions there.

 

In Grand Cayman, we did a snorkeling and then Stingray City tour with Moby Dick tours. Excellent small operation. Very personable. Meet you right at the dock and really watch to make sure you are back to the ship on time. Experiencing the stingrays is something that should not be missed. This was the second time we did it, and I would do it again.

 

In Cozumel, we rented a van from Avis right on the pier (ahead of time on line) and headed to the east side of the island to beautiful uncrowded beaches. Other posters have talked about taking taxis to beach clubs, private snorkeling and diving - Cozumel is easy and safe.

 

Have a wonderful time.

[jkeitch]

29 days and counting as we went to the travel agent and booked our cruise and flights today!

 

Thanks again for all the advice given thus far.

 

JK

[JLY Girl]

Our last cruise went through Ocho Rios. We chose to use a private excursion and couldn't of had a better time. We used Phil Layfayette. I would highly recommend him.

 

 

We to had Phil take us on a tour in Ocho Rios on our Western Carrib. cruise 2 years ago, and he was amazing. He picked up, took us to do Dunns Fall (first thing in the morning, before it got busy), then tubing down White River and tour of the island in his air conditioned van. At the end of the tour, he gave us the option of returning to the ship or dropping us at a shopping plaza/mall near the pier (within walking distance) The tour was about 4 hours, and costed around $40-50/pp. We had an amazing time - because we were there early, we avoided the cruise excursion groups, which did have a lot of people. After we climbed Dunns Fall, we looked back down and the groups were just arriving, and it looked packed.

 

This was our first cruise, and we felt totally comfortable doing a private tour with Phil - with the tour being about 4 hours, we were able to get back to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Phil is a great guy (and guide) - he even emailed us after our trip to make sure we check if we returned home safely. I know he probably does it with every one of his customers, but I thought it was an nice touch.

 

Let me know if you have any questions - I have some pictures if you want to see his van or the excursion.

 

Happy Cruising!