Carnival Valor...help with excursions!!

[zao71]

So my boyfriend and I are sailing out of Miami next month on the 7 day western Caribbean cruise to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Isla Roatan. I am going to start booking the excursions now so we don't miss out. We are not into diving or snorkelling, but love boats, adventure and site seeing. I've, ofcourse, read about all of the excursions, but owuld like to know if anyone out there has any suggestions of whats worth it and what to avoid? Please help!!:eek:

[Megnolia]

If you're booking Carnival excursions, I would go for Raiders of the Lost Mayan Caves in Belize. We didn't book it because one of our friends was really nervous about doing it, and we regretted it big time. Everyone we've heard who did it absolutely loved it, and we will definitely do it next time!

 

In Roatan we did the Birds, Monkeys and Pirates - it wasn't adventurous, but the monkeys were really cool, and I liked it a lot better than I thought!

 

Cozumel - I've done Xcaret park in Playa del Carmen, which I absolutely loved!! And Chankanaab on our own in a taxi - if you're not into snorkelling, Xcaret would be the better choice. But that's only based on our own experience!

 

Grand Cayman - I've only snorkelled there, so no great suggestions!

 

I think you'll have a great time! Another option is to wait until you're on board and go to the shore excursion talk. They gave some neat information about trips I hadn't considered.

[dvan68]

Grand Cayman - you have to do the Stingrays! Some tours will make a snorkeling stop - but I am sure you can find one that just does Stingrays since you are not interested in that. Try to go a little later, as the morning crowds will have died down. If you visit the Port of Call boards you will be able to get lots of ideas and names of independent operators.

[CruiseLover824]

We just did this cruise a few months ago and had a great time!!

 

Grand Cayman: Do something with the stingrays! They are really cool...you can swim with them, pet them, hold them, kiss them, and sometimes get a back massage!

 

 

 

 

Roatan: If you like beaches, I would recommend Tabyana! It was absolutely gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

Belize: A few of my friends did the Xunantunich Mayan ruins. They said it was awesome. I did a city tour....it was eye-opening, but not overly exciting. Two other friends did the Bacab Eco park rainforest walk. One of them really liked it, the other didn't care for it.

 

 

 

 

Cozumel: If you like dolphins, I would recommend swimming with the dolphins here. There are two places that you can do it. We did the Carnival excursion to Dolphinaris. It was amazing!!

 

 

I am sure you will have a great time no matter what you do!!!

[Perfect Stranger]

Those are great pictures!

[CruiseLover824]

Those are great pictures!

 

Thanks.....I think have have almost 3,000 from that cruise! I went with 8 other people and we all exchanged pics after we got back! :D

[ShannLC16]

Hello! My husband and I did this itinerary back in March/April...Here is what we did. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

Grand Cayman - I had done stingray city on a previous cruise, so my husband, our friends, and I rented a jeep and drove ourselves (yikes!!) to Rum Point Beach. We had a great day - we all took turns driving to get the experience of driving in another country and the beach was amazing - pristine, white sand and crystal clear water.

 

Roatan - We booked through Victor Bodden Tours (private tour company) and had a driver for the day. We were given a tour of the island by someone who actually lives there. We went to the Iguana Farm, which was pretty cool, and we did a zipline adventure. We also stopped at a local orphanage to donate supplies and had our driving bring us to his favorite place to eat for an authentic meal. Good food, great price!! This was our favorite day by far. Almost missed the ship too - oops!

 

Belize - We booked through cave-tubing.com (also a private company) and went cave tubing. Apparently there was a fatality doing this excursion through the tour group Carnival used this past September, but the river was calm and the water was low on our excursion. We felt very safe. Got to hike into the jungle/rainforest a bit, jumped off a huge rock into the river, and then went cave-tubing. Awesome, awesome day.

 

Cozumel - This was our third time at Cozumel. We don't like the touristy feel to the port area, so my husband and I always rent a moped/scooter and drive the shoreline. We drive until the tank is half-empty and then turn around and come back. Along the way there are places to stop, beaches, private beaches, little food places - it's a blast.

[walkswife]

Cayman~my moms favorite day..... went to Sea Grapes beach.... public free beach..... went parasailing....

 

Cozumel~Paradise Beach was amazing.... free use of loungers if you by drinks or food.... $10 wristband gives unlimited use of water toys... free internet....

 

Belize~did cave tubing.... walk through rainforest was beautiful and floating down the river and through the caves was amazing....

 

Never been to Roatan... but this is a fun itinerary.... you will have a blast...

[Name Of The Game]

I will be visiting these ports in the fall and the only thing definite is Stingray City. I've asked on the Roatan board if anyone has taken the Roatan Highlights tour from Roatan Cruise Excursions (Island Marketing) and no one has replied. None of the excursions in Belize look appealing as I'm not interested in cave tubing, snorkeling or the long bumpy ride that's involved in visiting ruins.

[YFancyface]

We're going for the first time on the 8th on the Valor! We are so excited. Don't know how they are going to be yet, but here's our agenda:

 

Grand Cayman: Dolphin Encounter

 

Rotan: Tabyana Beach

 

Beliez: Cave Tubing

 

Cozumel: No excursion, but planning Paradise Beach and then shopping!!

 

OP, do you have more picutres of Tabyana? I'd love to see them!

[clearwater10]

Did the valor a couple of weeks ago. in cayman did sea grape beach, beautiful, 5 dollar per person each way. roatan was the best. booked thru victor bodden tours, zip and dip, $65 went to victors house and played with the monkeys, then did his zipline, there was 15 not more than 45 feel high, we had a blast doing this and then they took us to the beach for a few hours and then back to the pier for shopping. it was our favorite by far. in belize we booked the private island beach break which is bannister island. if you don't want cave tubing or ruins, this is about the only thing to do other than snorkeling, etc. it was a nice island but the water was real milky for some reason, it was real windy too so that may have been why. beware the sand is real mushy and lots of shells, need water shoes. in cozumel i like to go to paradise beach 15 dollar taxi each way and free chairs if you order one drink but for 10 ride the water toys, and get a float. also love the massages on the beach for 1 dollar a minute. i also enjoy the catamarin tours, even though i don't snorklel, check those out too.

[murraync]

We just the Legend cruise which stopped at all those ports-

 

Grand Cayman we did the Carnival tour - Sting Ray City Safari - it was 2 hours- 10 minute bus ride from port to boat- 20 min ride to stingrays- they have coolers on boat with cups and drinks- great time in water with sting rays- then back to port- we loved it- nothing fancy

 

Cozumel- we just shopped- our dinner mates did the Xcaret trip and loved it- it just takes all day and they were pooped that night

 

Belize- we did Carnival tour- Goffs Cay snorkel- highly recommend it- the boat picks you up right from the Valor- takes you to this gorgeous island about 1/2 and acre big- snorkeling was fun and easy- they do a great job helping you with equipemnt etc- there is a group of locals that bring a porta potty by boat to the island along with drinks and food to purchase (so bring some cash) and local handmade items for sale-

 

Roatan- we did non Carnival tour- Fins and Flippers- loved it- highly recommend it- they were great- easy to find at port- very welcoming- island is gorgeous- check out their website- we wanted to stay and send for our things- snorkeling was amazing- pool was nice- island has lots of things to see and explore- best part is it is right off the bow of the ship, so no worries about being back in time :)

[zao71]

Awesome pictures! Thankyou

[chloes_mom]

Did the valor a couple of weeks ago. in cayman did sea grape beach, beautiful, 5 dollar per person each way. roatan was the best. booked thru victor bodden tours, zip and dip, $65 went to victors house and played with the monkeys, then did his zipline, there was 15 not more than 45 feel high, we had a blast doing this and then they took us to the beach for a few hours and then back to the pier for shopping. it was our favorite by far. in belize we booked the private island beach break which is bannister island. if you don't want cave tubing or ruins, this is about the only thing to do other than snorkeling, etc. it was a nice island but the water was real milky for some reason, it was real windy too so that may have been why. beware the sand is real mushy and lots of shells, need water shoes. in cozumel i like to go to paradise beach 15 dollar taxi each way and free chairs if you order one drink but for 10 ride the water toys, and get a float. also love the massages on the beach for 1 dollar a minute. i also enjoy the catamarin tours, even though i don't snorklel, check those out too.

I'm booked on the Valor 12/6. Do you have any pictures of paradise beach? And did you happen to notice what kind of water toys were available? Also, is there snorkeling from the shore there? Thanks!

[BlueC5Kitten]

Shame you aren't into diving and snorkeling...these are some of the most incredible diving/snorkeling ports in the Caribbean.

 

I can second the Dolphinaris experience in Cozumel though...I've done that, and enjoyed it. The dolphins there are very healthy!

[illiniwahoo]

If you like adventure, try ziplining in Rotan. It was awsome! we used shoretrips dot com. it was ~$50 for the zipline (1 hr, ~15 different lines), then the rest of the day on the beach. It was our favorite day!

We also did stingray city on grand caymen, cave tubing in belize, and snorkeling in cozumel

[Tap Queen]

If you're booking Carnival excursions, I would go for Raiders of the Lost Mayan Caves in Belize. We didn't book it because one of our friends was really nervous about doing it, and we regretted it big time. Everyone we've heard who did it absolutely loved it, and we will definitely do it next time!

 

In Roatan we did the Birds, Monkeys and Pirates - it wasn't adventurous, but the monkeys were really cool, and I liked it a lot better than I thought!

 

Cozumel - I've done Xcaret park in Playa del Carmen, which I absolutely loved!! And Chankanaab on our own in a taxi - if you're not into snorkelling, Xcaret would be the better choice. But that's only based on our own experience!

 

Grand Cayman - I've only snorkelled there, so no great suggestions!

 

I think you'll have a great time! Another option is to wait until you're on board and go to the shore excursion talk. They gave some neat information about trips I hadn't considered.

Megnolia,

 

I noticed you've been on a southern carribean cruise and am wondering what excursions you recommend.

 

I'm going on the cruise leaving December 22nd, and just wondering what excursions people recommend. My bf and I are going and are in our mid 20s. We enjoy water activities, and have gone snorkeling before. We thought about trying ATVs, or zip lining. Any suggestions?

[stevelax]

I am booked on the Valor on Feb. 14-21st and booked my excursions already:

 

Caymans- Jet Ski to Stingray City

 

Belize- Cave Tubing/Zip Line Combo through actionbelizeboys

 

Roatan- Sante Wellness Spa

 

Cozumel- XTR Rail Adventure- Like dune buggies through mountains and the beaches.

 

I'm in my mid 30's and looking for an adventure type of excursions. Any questions, feel free to ask.

 

Also added a group for this cruise on facebook under Carnival Valor- Feb. 14-21, 2010.

 

Love to hear some reviews from people taking the Valor Western Carribean before mine starts.

[Tap Queen]

Megnolia,

 

I noticed you've been on a southern carribean cruise and am wondering what excursions you recommend.

 

I'm going on the cruise leaving December 22nd, and just wondering what excursions people recommend. My bf and I are going and are in our mid 20s. We enjoy water activities, and have gone snorkeling before. We thought about trying ATVs, or zip lining. Any suggestions?

 

To clarify, We're going on the Miracle and our ports are St. Maartan, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts

[Sdallnct]

The only excursion we did on our Valor trip was swimming with the Sting Rays. You can read about it at the blog I created here,

 

http://sdallnct.wordpress.com/2009/11/09/vacation-day-7-116-grand-cayman/

 

Or you can read my entire blog at the link in my sig.

 

Highly recommend the Sting Rays but not booking thru Carnival.

[somerandomguy]

I, too, will vouch for cave tubing through cave-tubing.com or something like that. It was great. Didn't get to jump off a rock though, I think I got ripped off.

 

Went to a beach in Roatan, did a random tour in Cozumel. Went snorkeling in Grand Cayman with the stingrays. Cave tubing was by far my favorite :)

[pokergirl34]

If you play golf, the golf excursion from Belize is AMAZING!

 

In Cozumel we did the Tulum ruins. Also AMAZING! The ruins are on the coast on a high cliff. There are amazing views and when you get hot, you can wade in the ocean!

 

Grand Cayman - please do the stingrays. You will not regret it. I am sure you can find a tour that doesn't include snorkeling.

 

In Roatan we went to the Iguana Farm and then to Maya Key for snorkeling. The Iguana Farm is not to be missed. If you are putting together a custom tour, make sure they include this!

[giddygirlie]

my 2 cents about Grand Cayman:

 

Last year, we booked a stingray excursion through a private company that was 1/2 the price that the ship was asking and they book fewer passengers, so there's more 1:1 time with the stingrays (the ship's group books something like 50 people at once, whereas the private companies book 10-12 and go to different areas to ensure more interactive opportunities). But the day we arrived, the tour operator advised against going out because the water was too choppy. It wasn't totally unsafe, but they advised that it wouldn't be as much fun. A couple of the cruise ship excursions went anyway and people said that they didn't enjoy it. The water was rough, so the stingrays tended to stay away or else get washed into people, which is a little unnerving.

 

Instead, we found an island tour by bus at the terminal that was something like $15 per person and was GREAT! It was a neat little tour and it stopped by all the high points (Hell, Boatswain's Beach, shopping, etc.) and we LOVED the stop at the Boatswain's Beach turtle farm. It sounds goofy, but it's REALLY neat and you can hold baby sea turtles (squee!) and explore the grounds. They also have a private beach, private pools, restaurants, bars, an aviary, etc. There are excursions available through the ship, too. We're going in a week and are already planning on spending a few hours at the turtle farm - where you can even swim with the turtles! It's not just for kids -- in fact, we didn't see many children when we were there last. I'm looking forward to this the most!

 

We'd missed the chance to visit Xcaret when we were in Cancun a few years back and are considering doing the excursion to go there this time... but it sounds like a LONG busy day. It's a 45 min ferry ride, plus a 20 min bus ride (each way) and then walking through a very large park... we may end up just going to Paradise Beach. We're more into relaxing and lounging than pushing ourselves too hard. This is a recouperative vacation, so you'll see us reading in lounge chairs and snoozing on the beach rather than ziplining. :)