First Cruise - Excursion Advice\Suggestions

[irishgond]

Hey all, my wife and I are going on our first cruise for our honeymoon leaving on Dec 7th on Freedom of the Seas

 

 

Miami, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico

 

 

We are both young adventurous and enjoy exploring\getting away from the "touristy" of vacations...we went exploring with the cab driver we hired on a past vacation in Jamaica and had the best time!!

 

 

So....can you all recommend excursions? Also if we want to go on a non RCI excursion, can you just get off the boat and they are there waiting or must it be booked in advance? It sounds less crowded but about the same price (depending) as booking through RCI. (will prob do something w\ dolphins in Cozumel)

[Gonzo70]

Hey all, my wife and I are going on our first cruise for our honeymoon leaving on Dec 7th on Freedom of the Seas Miami, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico We are both young adventurous and enjoy exploring\getting away from the "touristy" of vacations...we went exploring with the cab driver we hired on a past vacation in Jamaica and had the best time!! So....can you all recommend excursions? Also if we want to go on a non RCI excursion, can you just get off the boat and they are there waiting or must it be booked in advance? It sounds less crowded but about the same price (depending) as booking through RCI.

 

In Ochos Rios I really enjoyed the zip line excursion (did through the cruise line). Although the port area is very ugly/seedy, Jamaica is a beautiful country and you get to experience the countryside on this excursion in addition to the zipping being lots of fun!

 

In Cozumel I had a blast doing the ATV excursion through the rain forest (booked that through the ship as well).

 

In Grand Cayman I have heard great things about Sting Ray city. I have twice signed up for it but both times was cancelled due to incelement weather. I am heading back there next month, so hopefully the third time will be a charm! I booked this time through a private compaby called Captain Marvins which has received really good reviews on Cruise Critic (but it will be my first time using them). If you google them you can find their web site.

 

As for advice on board, if you enjoy good food definitely try out the specialty restaurants. IMHO they are well worth the cover charge! If you are trying out ship amenities like ice skating, rock climbing etc., try to do it early on in the cruise as it seems like the longs get a bit longer each progressive day.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and have a great cruise!

[anaslile]

You probably want to check the POC boards, and also the shore excursions that RCI lists to get an idea of what shore excursions you're interested in. Once you do that, you can check into whether they're offered privately. The POC boards will also talk a lot about private operators, and make recommendations for private operators.

 

If you want to wait, you will be able to walk off the ship and find an excursion or a driver, however you won't have the benefit of knowing whether or not they are a reputable company or not.

 

Personally, in Grand Cayman I'd recommend the sting rays, very touristy but very much worth it. A lot of people like combining the sting rays with rum point. I don't have any personal experience with rum point so I can't help.

 

In Cozumel there is a lot to do. One of my friends on my last cruise had a good experience with just renting a cab and having the driver drive them around. If you want to do something about more "touristy" and "adventurous'' in Cozumel swimming with the Dolphins is AMAZING!!! I'd highly recommend doing it. That you do have to prebook. Chankanaab Park is amazing, too.

 

Regardless, read the ports of call boards to get some ideas.

[psbchris]

In Jamaica - you will love Dunns River Falls. You climb up the falls, and get very wet!!! Great time!!!! Ocho Rios itself is not all that exciting.

Grand Cayman - Stingray City is a must!!! Snorkeling with the stingrays. The tours will give instructions and provide the equipment. Also, some very good shopping right outside the port area.

Labadee is a beautiful beach. They have a zip line there. The main beach where the boats tender in is quite crowded. Walk around, there are quieter beaches around.

Cozumel has some fairly decent shopping. I heard the snorkeling is nice there as well!

 

Have fun!

[RoofingPrincess]

Well, Labadee is more like a "private island" than a port call. Technically, it's not an island - it's a peninsula - but the land end is fenced off from the rest of Haiti. The only people going through that fence are RCCL employees and those persons RCCL permits to come in to sell their handicrafts. So you won't be taking any taxi tours of Haiti. There are some "excursion" options through the ship, but you're not going much of anywhere - but they're for fun stuff like ziplining, jetskis, etc.

Yes, if you book a non-RCI excursion, in general they are waiting there for you on the dock. Sometimes you have to get to where they're at - this should all be made clear to you when you make your booking with them. There are also folks at many ports who are hustling their own excursions right at the dock, but I wouldn't feel comfortable going with them. The only non-RCI excursions I've done have been those I've booked ahead of time based on the recommendations of other folks on Cruise Critic.

I'd recommend that you go to the ports of call boards for the ports you're scheduled to visit, and see what folks there have done and recommended:

Jamaica http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=111

Grand Cayman http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=147

Cozumel http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=210

 

Have a wonderful wedding and honeymoon, and an even better marriage!

And I hope you enjoy your first cruise.

[irishgond]

Great replys all..please keep them coming...also...holy crap does parking cost a lot at the port...uuuhhgggg

[anaslile]

depending on whether you're flying or driving, you may want to look into spending the night at a local hotel. Many of them offer stay and park packages where you can park your car at the hotel for the week for either a) a reduced rate or b) free.

[cb at sea]

You don't have to book any excursion to get off the ship! Excursions can really run up the cost of your cruise! If you just like to go to the beach, then that's easily doable on your own. (Labadee is a beach day, anyway--it's part of your cruise!) Same with just wandering around and shopping, exploring, etc...

You can book excursions either through the cruiseline, from private guides, or just go with one of the many "guides" that will be at the port when you get off the ship!

To get the most out of your trip, get a guidebook at either a library (free!) or a bookstore, and read up on your ports, so you'll know what there is to do there, and how to do it!

[irishgond]

I know this is gonna sound dumb but it's just for the first day we are on the ship (sailing anyway)...does it have cable tv...as the wife and and love nfl football...so myself especially, I'm hoping to watch a couple games.

[PantherFan]

They have a sports bar that shows the games and you may have one on in your room as well.

[irishgond]

Is it possible to find out when the "Formal Dining" days are...think 2 of them for the 7 night we are on....although I'm not a formal person and won't be "tuxing" it..prob only go to one formal night.

[irishgond]

bump