1st time cruiser!!

[LeslieRod]

I am totally new at this cruise thing-a-ma-jig and need as much help and advise as possible. I am taking my husband and two children, ages 8 & 10, and need to know the ins and outs. I heard and have read that the Dunn's River Falls is a must go, but that's all I have heard. What other fun family activity can you recommend? Who can I get a hold of on shore excursions? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I guess I should mention where we are headed. Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios.

[atljoo]

We were just in OR last month. See my excursion info here.....

 

Which ship are you on?

[sdirector77]

www.ocho-rios.com

We found Queen McBeam and used her in Jamaica, it was a great tour, we did Dunn's River Falls, River Tubing, shopping and finally dropped at Margaritaville. You can email her and she will design a tour for you and your family.

[cruisedawgg]

...be advised that Grand Cayman is EXPENSIVE.

[LeslieRod]

We are going to be on Carnival Triumph.

[LeslieRod]

Thank you all for the quick responses and great suggestions. I will definitely put extra money aside for Grand Cayman.

[lulu99]

we just got back (first time cruisers as well) we also used queen mc beam and she was wonderful. (cheaper than the exact same ship excursion) do the falls AND tubing. great fun.

 

in cayman we used native way. sharon ebanks was the best. also cheaper than same ship excursion. we swam with the stingrays, snorkeled and than went to 7 mile beach. (beautiful)

 

in cozumel we went to nachi cocum, a beautiful private beach all inclusive (just bring a towel and $ to tip waiter) the food and drinks were great. the beach just breath taking. (they film corona commercials there) they only accept about 100 people per day, but there are never more than 40. it's $48 for adults and less for kids. there is also a big pool. they offer water sports also. when returning back to the ship we heard so many complaints about the ship sponsored beach trips (very crowded, especially if there are other ships in port that day). You won't find a trampoline or toys for the water for the kids, so you may want to bring some blow up tubes etc. some say it;s too quiet, but my kids are older and they were happy to be able to actually move in the water. (the ships pool was so small) it's a great place to go.

[Just_Wondering]

My new bride & I just celebrated our honeymoon on our first cruise and jamaica was one of our favorite spots. We took a tour with Mark Morris (http://www.markstours.com/home.html) & were quite pleased. We went to Dunns falls, river tubing & then Mark took us to a local Jamaican resturat where we GREATLY enjoyed Jerk Chicken. Generally, Mark would have taken us to a few other places on the tour but we wanted to eat & be dropped off in port a bit early to do some shopping. Mark went the extra mile and actually dropped us off where we wanted to go shopping. If you go to Jamacia... go with Mark Morris.

[smokeysmom]

If you want more for your kids to do in Cozumel, I would recommend Paradise Beach. We had a blast there with our 15 and 13 year olds. $15 each way taxi fare. A $10 bracelet lets you play on all the toys. Loungers & umbrellas are free, but you are expected to order some food and drinks. They have trampolines and a climbing wall in the water, snorkeling gear (the best fish are under the dock), kayaks, and a bungee trampoline on dry ground. All included in the $10. The food was good and there are couple of laptops with free internet at the bar. Have fun on your trip!