Praying Colonel
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
Also on the Fantasy last week, here's what we (DW and I) did:
--Grand Cayman: We did the Boatswain's Adventure Marine Park. They took us in a bus to the park where we toured the turtle farm, had a buffet lunch of BBQ chicken, Caribbean-style mahi mahi, cole slaw, fried plantains and tea/lemonade. After that we had about an hour to swim and play at the water park, or we could snorkel in a man-made lagoon with turtles and other fish. There was also a dolphin tank across the road that we could visit if we wanted to, but we chose to snorkel. After that we loaded up on the bus and went back to the ship.
This was a big hit! The turtle farm was interesting, the lunch was better than I expected, and it was a lot of fun to swim with the turtles and fish. The only downsides were we had to stand in the sun for about 30 minutes before they let us on the (not-so-air-conditioned) bus, and it was too short. The bus left the port area about 12:15 and left around 3:30 to take us back. I wish we'd had another 1-2 hours to snorkel some more and then visit the dolphin tank. But otherwise we thoroughly enjoyed it, more than we expected.
--Costa Maya: We did the ATV Jungle Beach Break. We piled into a large truck that reminded us of the truck you ride in Kilamanjaro Safaris, then they drove us out to their private beach area way out in the middle of nowhere. We got a safety briefing then jumped onto ATVs and rode through the jungle for about 35 minutes. We took a water break, then drove on fairly level, good road along the coast for another 15 minutes or so. We stopped for some photos, then we rode back to the beginning point. We had about an hour to swim, lay in hammocks or sit in their outdoor bar area. We got free chips and pico de gallo and could order from their cash bar (good prices--$2 beers, $4 mixed drinks).
This was our favorite excursion of the 3. Again, I wish we'd had more time; the truck didn't leave to take us on the excursion until about 1:45, and left the excursion area about 4:50 to return us to the ship. I wish we had another hour or so. But the guides were very helpful, the ATVs worked great, it was fun to ride around in the jungle and see the coast, and their beach area was very beautiful as we sat and relaxed. I highly recommend it if you want an active excursion.
--Cozumel: We did the Dune Buggy Beach Snorkel excursion. We walked through the port area where we got checked out on our dune buggies, then we rode through town and up the highway to a "Mayan Ruin," which was a small building which we were told was only a small part of it, and most was underground. From there we walked to another marshy area where we could look at crocodiles and fish, or climb an observation tower and see the area. After about 20 minutes of this we rode to the beach area where we were given snorkel equipment and led out to a reef. After that we had lunch (chicken fajitas, rice, beans, chips and salsa) served to us and we were then given the chance to change. We then drove to a lighthouse for about 15 minutes of exploring, then drove back to the port.
This was our least favorite excursion of the 3. The ride out from Cozumel was fun, and the beach was pretty. But we thought everything else was "less than magical," to be kind. The stops at the "Mayan Ruin" and lighthouse were not advertised as part of the excursion and seemed lame and wastes of our time. (The lighthouse visit felt like it was planned to give vendors a shot at us.) The snorkeling equipment didn't work properly and our guides didn't offer to help us--they gave us the option of taking the boat back in or swimming back. When we got back in we tried to trade out our masks for ones that worked, but couldn't find anyone to help us. The food was of very poor quality. The ride back took what seemed forever because one of the dune buggies broke down (another one had broken down earlier, too). I can't recommend this excursion.
--Grand Cayman: We did the Boatswain's Adventure Marine Park. They took us in a bus to the park where we toured the turtle farm, had a buffet lunch of BBQ chicken, Caribbean-style mahi mahi, cole slaw, fried plantains and tea/lemonade. After that we had about an hour to swim and play at the water park, or we could snorkel in a man-made lagoon with turtles and other fish. There was also a dolphin tank across the road that we could visit if we wanted to, but we chose to snorkel. After that we loaded up on the bus and went back to the ship.
This was a big hit! The turtle farm was interesting, the lunch was better than I expected, and it was a lot of fun to swim with the turtles and fish. The only downsides were we had to stand in the sun for about 30 minutes before they let us on the (not-so-air-conditioned) bus, and it was too short. The bus left the port area about 12:15 and left around 3:30 to take us back. I wish we'd had another 1-2 hours to snorkel some more and then visit the dolphin tank. But otherwise we thoroughly enjoyed it, more than we expected.
--Costa Maya: We did the ATV Jungle Beach Break. We piled into a large truck that reminded us of the truck you ride in Kilamanjaro Safaris, then they drove us out to their private beach area way out in the middle of nowhere. We got a safety briefing then jumped onto ATVs and rode through the jungle for about 35 minutes. We took a water break, then drove on fairly level, good road along the coast for another 15 minutes or so. We stopped for some photos, then we rode back to the beginning point. We had about an hour to swim, lay in hammocks or sit in their outdoor bar area. We got free chips and pico de gallo and could order from their cash bar (good prices--$2 beers, $4 mixed drinks).
This was our favorite excursion of the 3. Again, I wish we'd had more time; the truck didn't leave to take us on the excursion until about 1:45, and left the excursion area about 4:50 to return us to the ship. I wish we had another hour or so. But the guides were very helpful, the ATVs worked great, it was fun to ride around in the jungle and see the coast, and their beach area was very beautiful as we sat and relaxed. I highly recommend it if you want an active excursion.
--Cozumel: We did the Dune Buggy Beach Snorkel excursion. We walked through the port area where we got checked out on our dune buggies, then we rode through town and up the highway to a "Mayan Ruin," which was a small building which we were told was only a small part of it, and most was underground. From there we walked to another marshy area where we could look at crocodiles and fish, or climb an observation tower and see the area. After about 20 minutes of this we rode to the beach area where we were given snorkel equipment and led out to a reef. After that we had lunch (chicken fajitas, rice, beans, chips and salsa) served to us and we were then given the chance to change. We then drove to a lighthouse for about 15 minutes of exploring, then drove back to the port.
This was our least favorite excursion of the 3. The ride out from Cozumel was fun, and the beach was pretty. But we thought everything else was "less than magical," to be kind. The stops at the "Mayan Ruin" and lighthouse were not advertised as part of the excursion and seemed lame and wastes of our time. (The lighthouse visit felt like it was planned to give vendors a shot at us.) The snorkeling equipment didn't work properly and our guides didn't offer to help us--they gave us the option of taking the boat back in or swimming back. When we got back in we tried to trade out our masks for ones that worked, but couldn't find anyone to help us. The food was of very poor quality. The ride back took what seemed forever because one of the dune buggies broke down (another one had broken down earlier, too). I can't recommend this excursion.
thanks.
The port area looked really nice. Lots of shops, bars and a big ol' pool. I read about the Tropicante here on the Dis and decided it sounded like what we wanted. We followed Steve's (the owner from Texas) directions to walk outside the port area and grab a cab next to the Hard Rock to the Tropicante. The cab ride cost $6 plus tip there. When we arrived we checked in at the restaurant and were lead to our beach front loungers with umbrella. They brought some chairs down for the kids as well. We ordered some drinks margaritas and beers for mom and dad, and virgin drinks for the kids. The beach area was wonderful with a great view of the ship. There were no waves and the beach was flat with no large drop offs so the kids could just walk in the water and play at the water's edge. I packed a few sand toys and the kids happily played for hours! My 6 year old loved walking out into the water and being able to touch far out! For lunch we ordered chicken nachos and the heart attack platter ( battered and fried mini burritos, shrimp, fish and onion rings). It was all fantastic! Our server came directly to our loungers to take our orders and even delivered our drinks to us while we stayed in the water! Cost of MANY drinks... at least 8 beers, a margarita, 2 virgin drinks, a bottle of water an the food was $43! I simply can not say enough how wonderful this beach area was for the children! There were vendors selling their items up and sown the beach. We did buy a few things... bracelets, little turtles... but all were respectful and walked away when we told them no thank you. Steve, the owned came over and sat with us for about 15 minutes or so. He was very nice to talk to and said he just liked to visit all of his guests. A cab was easy to get on the way back. It cost us $8 back to the port but our cab drove us directly inside the port area so we didn't have to walk from the outside cab stand!
I want my daughter to be able to see the same, but I may be biased since I adore history? 
