Excursions???

[Cards5440]

We are sailing on conquest 2/13/05 and wondering what to do in Cozumel. We are intered in Dolphin Swim or Snorkeling. Any suggestions on tours? Should we book through carnival or outside? Is the Dolphin Swim better in Cozumel or Montego Bay? Snokeling better in Coz or Montego? Thanks for any help!

[bruce-r]

The snorkeling will be way better in Coz.

[cruisinqt]

If you're docking in Montego Bay, be sure to check and see where the excursions are located before you book them. Carnival and many other cruise lines have excursions from Montego Bay that go all the way over to Ocho Rios. For instance, the Carnival excursion to Dunn River Falls from Montego Bay is listed as a 6 hour excursion. What they don't tell you is that there is a two hour drive there and a two hour drive back. And you only spend an hour or so actually at the falls. I don't know about you, but being crammed into a tour bus like sardines for four hours is not my idea of fun. And I have read some angry posts about this excursion too. It's okay for those docking in Ocho Rios, but it's not such a great idea for those docking in Montego Bay. I would go to Sunset Beach Resort for the $20 all inclusive personally.:D

 

As for Cozumel the dolphin swim there is fantastic, there's a lot of great reviews of it here at CC. I can personally vouch for the snorkeling in Cozumel, they are known to have some of the best reefs in the world!:D I would do the dolphin swim and then some snorkeling afterward while in Cozumel if I were you.

 

As for who to book with, the cruise line or on your own, I book my own excursions. I have found the cruise line excursions to be overcrowded and expensive. But I have found that when I book an excursion with a local tour operator, not only does it cost about half the price, but it is with a much smaller group and I get more personalized attention. And I always check with the message boards at cruise critic to see which company is the most popular in that port. I have always found that if the cruise critic board members rave about a particular local tour operator, they're always right on the money. When I take their suggestions on a certain tour operator, I always have a blast!:D