MC0810
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
We just left the fantasy today and I wanted to post some information on Western Caribbean Excursions we went on with our children. I know I had a hard time finding reviews for the Western excursions with children so hoping this helps some....
COZUMEL: We originally booked Playa Mia Cozumel Beach break, however a week before leaving Disney emailed to say that the water park area and pools would be closed for refurb. The cute water park is the main reason we booked this excursion for the kids. We ended up cancelling it and instead took a taxi to PARADISE BEACH. When we got off the ship the taxi drivers approached us and tried to convince us to go to some other beach further away that has better water. We passed on them and found some taxis near the escalator that were holding advertisements for Paradise Beach. ($32 for a van of 8 people...or $16 for 4 people). The ride was about 15 minutes through safe looking areas. We arrived at Paradise around 9:30am and were some of the firsts guests there...it was empty until about 1030 when many more cruise passengers started arriving. It never felt over crowded the whole day we were there. We were approached when we got to the chairs and umbrellas by an employee who explained the $10 minimum per adult on drinks/food and that the entrance is $3 and includes umbrella and chairs and $15 additional for the water toys. They did NOT charge us for the water toys for my 4 year old..I actually dont think they even charged us entrance for him or my 2 year old niece. The pool is really big and nice with a shallow area for the little ones where my 2 year old niece had fun.. and the rest of the pool was about 4-5 feet deep. The water and beach area were just OK..not nthe nicest. Cozumel doesnt have nice sand..very rocky..if you have water shoes bring them..water is not very clear by the beach areas either. The blow up toys on the water were fun...we had to assist our 4 and 7 year olds, and even some adults had trouble. You will need to be a good swimmer to get to the toys. Included in the $15 are kayaks you can use. There was also some good snorkeling off the little dock they have ..there were pretty fish and little sting rays. The service was good, the employees were friendly. We easily spent over the $10 minimum. sodas and water were $2.95..we also bought some good seasoned fries $5, nachos $8?), drinks..beers. Everything was really good. The wifi had a strong signal and was FREE. Bathrooms were nice and clean. There is a taxi stand at the exit and had no problems heading back.
GRAND CAYMAN: Booked the Dolphin Encounter/ Turtle Farm Excursion. Bus ride was about 15- 20 minutes. The Dolphin Excursion was very clean. Next to the ocean. Across from the swim/encounter pools was a nice sandy area with tables, chairs, umbrellas. This is where my 2 year old niece and her Dad hung out and watched us while the rest of us did the excursion. Everyone gets a life vest and locker to use. We all LOVED the excursion. The trainer was very nice and the dolphin adorable..pretty small one. We each got to kiss, dance, touch and take many photos by the professional photographer that was there. The trainer had two people go at a time (we all go in the water as a big group) and then sent the dolphin to swim past all of us for us to pet him (so no one gets bored). Great Excursion. my 4 and 7 year old loved it. My 4 year old could not touch the bottom of where we were standing but kept float well with the life jacket and I held him when it was his turn with the dolphin. When it was over you can go in the gift shop to see the photos. There were 7 in our group and we asked to purchase all of the photos on a CD..she said it would be like $400..we haggled with her and she went back and forth with the manager who said the cheapest they could do was $220...we eventually got it down to $185,,but it took some work. I believe each printed photo is like $35. When we were done we crossed the street to the turtle farm. The turtle farm is not too large..we spent about 45 minutes there I believe. There were pools with different sized/tyupes of sea turtles...one pool you could pick them up and take photos..in another pool you could get in a small pool of water (maybe 2 feet of water) (5 at a time) to pick up the turtles..walk with them swimming around you. Really cool experience, all three of the kids loved it. The turtles were not the tiny ones i have seen in photos before..these were about 11-12 inches big. They sell water bottles in the park for under $2. Cool place to see and do once.
The excursion bus pulled up at 2:30 to go back to the ship..we decided we wanted to catch a taxi or public transportation van to the beach so we signed out with the tour guide and we were on our own. There were other people waiting for taxis/ bus and were complaining of how long they were waiting and ended up leaving with the bus. We got LUCKY when the excursion tour guide WAVED DOWN a city bus (its really a 14 passenger van) and we got in. The city "bus" is $2.50 per person. We said we wanted to go to a 7 mile beach. There were locals on the bus we had to drop off but about 15 minutes later he dropped us off at GRAPE BEACH. My husband asked if he could pick us up at 4:30 and he said YES!. The beach was one of the most amazing public beaches I have ever been to (we live in FL). It was mostly empty, there was a nice play ground. We bought chairs/umbrella's to use and had a FANTASTIC time. The water was clean and so clear. The sand was soft and had no rocks. I could have stayed there all day..infact as soon as I got home today I was looking up resorts in Grand Cayman hoping to return one day... (any recommendations?). when we were packing up our stuff to head to the parking lot around 4:30 we were approached by two different taxi drivers..they were trying to convince us to ride with them and said the public bus will likely not come back to get us..but RIGHT AT 4:30 the city bus came back to get us, we were so thankful the driver kept his word..he had other cruise passengers already on the bus too. (we Tipped him to and from). Grand Cayman is just beautiful and was my favorite port. The island is very clean with the clearest water we have ever seen, we felt safe in this port. The public transportation worked out great..not sure if we just got lucky or not though. There seems to have been few taxis/ busses going pass the turtle farm so that is something to keep in mind and a bit of a risk if you decide to do it on your own.
Falmouth Jewel Beach Break Excursion:
Our excursion time for jamaica was 7:45am in the walt disney theater. As I was approaching the theater there was a LONG line outside of the theater that went all the way into the atrium for ALL different excursions checking in. Our grand cayman excursion check in was quick and everyone was heading out of the boat within 10 minutes so I was NOT expecting such a long line and wait for the Falmouth excursion. I believe it was around 8:45 when our bus left. The tour guide on the bus was friendly and pointed out many things on the way to the resort..I would say the bus ride was about 35-40 minutes long. When we got to the resort some friendly employees met our group and walked us through the resort pointing out the restaurants..(one was open serving breakfast)..the others didnt open until around 11am..they walked us to the back where the newly built water park is. (IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This excursion DOES include the water park..there was ALOT of confusion before our trip..disney shore excursion cast members said it DID NOT include the water park when I called and emailed..this was SUPER frustrating. A friendly Disboards member messaged me and confirmed that their clients had just went on this excursion and it absolutely DID include the water park). So we get to the water park area and they proceed to tell us that it doesnt open until 10am (it was 9:30)..this was super frustrating because we were supposed to meet in the lobby to leave at 1:30. I was already beginning to feel like this excursion was not a great value as we were only there for 4 hours...but anyways. people started going into the water park a good 20minutes before 10am and no employees said anything. The two tall slides did not open until 10am though. There was a really nice lazy river with plenty of blow up tubes and two really cute kiddie splash areas with little slides. All 3 of the kids (and adults) had a blast. A little snack area by the pool opened at 10am where they have nachos, fries, drinks, jerk chicken quesadillas (yum!) and hot dogs, wings. I will say most everyone was not tipping, we tipped $1-2 per drink though..but fromt what I saw no one was tipping.
After hanging out at the water park we went to the beach. The beach area was really nice. They had a netted in area and an area that was open with no nets. There were little sail boats you can use that was included in the price however an employee had to go with you and operate it. there were plenty of chairs by the beach.
We also swam in both pools. The pool near the beach was great for little ones because there was a big shallow pool area perfect for my 2year old niece and a deeper pool next to it with a bar/infinity pool. The other large pool on property had a volley ball net and basketball hoop but there was no shallow area for the kids. We didnt stay long in this pool because we saw TWO pool lights completely pop out into the water. Employees came about 10 minutes later and popped them back in but the wires sticking out looked like a big safety hazard to me so we didnt get back in. We ate lunch at a buffet around 11:30. The food was fresh and was a nice change from the cruise food. There was spaghetti, fried chicken, fresh fried rice(yum!), plenty of fruit, sandwiches, etc. Servers walked around taking drink orders. Met in the lobby at 1:30 and the bus pulled away by 2pm.
Overall we really liked the resort and all the employees were friendly, nice amenities (except the popped pool lights) however we felt really disappointed with the amount of time we had to enjoy the resort.It took WAAAYYY too long to check in on the ship and leave...we really only had 4 hours at the resort before we had to leave..not really sure the value was there for the amount of money we paid $$$.
COZUMEL: We originally booked Playa Mia Cozumel Beach break, however a week before leaving Disney emailed to say that the water park area and pools would be closed for refurb. The cute water park is the main reason we booked this excursion for the kids. We ended up cancelling it and instead took a taxi to PARADISE BEACH. When we got off the ship the taxi drivers approached us and tried to convince us to go to some other beach further away that has better water. We passed on them and found some taxis near the escalator that were holding advertisements for Paradise Beach. ($32 for a van of 8 people...or $16 for 4 people). The ride was about 15 minutes through safe looking areas. We arrived at Paradise around 9:30am and were some of the firsts guests there...it was empty until about 1030 when many more cruise passengers started arriving. It never felt over crowded the whole day we were there. We were approached when we got to the chairs and umbrellas by an employee who explained the $10 minimum per adult on drinks/food and that the entrance is $3 and includes umbrella and chairs and $15 additional for the water toys. They did NOT charge us for the water toys for my 4 year old..I actually dont think they even charged us entrance for him or my 2 year old niece. The pool is really big and nice with a shallow area for the little ones where my 2 year old niece had fun.. and the rest of the pool was about 4-5 feet deep. The water and beach area were just OK..not nthe nicest. Cozumel doesnt have nice sand..very rocky..if you have water shoes bring them..water is not very clear by the beach areas either. The blow up toys on the water were fun...we had to assist our 4 and 7 year olds, and even some adults had trouble. You will need to be a good swimmer to get to the toys. Included in the $15 are kayaks you can use. There was also some good snorkeling off the little dock they have ..there were pretty fish and little sting rays. The service was good, the employees were friendly. We easily spent over the $10 minimum. sodas and water were $2.95..we also bought some good seasoned fries $5, nachos $8?), drinks..beers. Everything was really good. The wifi had a strong signal and was FREE. Bathrooms were nice and clean. There is a taxi stand at the exit and had no problems heading back.
GRAND CAYMAN: Booked the Dolphin Encounter/ Turtle Farm Excursion. Bus ride was about 15- 20 minutes. The Dolphin Excursion was very clean. Next to the ocean. Across from the swim/encounter pools was a nice sandy area with tables, chairs, umbrellas. This is where my 2 year old niece and her Dad hung out and watched us while the rest of us did the excursion. Everyone gets a life vest and locker to use. We all LOVED the excursion. The trainer was very nice and the dolphin adorable..pretty small one. We each got to kiss, dance, touch and take many photos by the professional photographer that was there. The trainer had two people go at a time (we all go in the water as a big group) and then sent the dolphin to swim past all of us for us to pet him (so no one gets bored). Great Excursion. my 4 and 7 year old loved it. My 4 year old could not touch the bottom of where we were standing but kept float well with the life jacket and I held him when it was his turn with the dolphin. When it was over you can go in the gift shop to see the photos. There were 7 in our group and we asked to purchase all of the photos on a CD..she said it would be like $400..we haggled with her and she went back and forth with the manager who said the cheapest they could do was $220...we eventually got it down to $185,,but it took some work. I believe each printed photo is like $35. When we were done we crossed the street to the turtle farm. The turtle farm is not too large..we spent about 45 minutes there I believe. There were pools with different sized/tyupes of sea turtles...one pool you could pick them up and take photos..in another pool you could get in a small pool of water (maybe 2 feet of water) (5 at a time) to pick up the turtles..walk with them swimming around you. Really cool experience, all three of the kids loved it. The turtles were not the tiny ones i have seen in photos before..these were about 11-12 inches big. They sell water bottles in the park for under $2. Cool place to see and do once.
The excursion bus pulled up at 2:30 to go back to the ship..we decided we wanted to catch a taxi or public transportation van to the beach so we signed out with the tour guide and we were on our own. There were other people waiting for taxis/ bus and were complaining of how long they were waiting and ended up leaving with the bus. We got LUCKY when the excursion tour guide WAVED DOWN a city bus (its really a 14 passenger van) and we got in. The city "bus" is $2.50 per person. We said we wanted to go to a 7 mile beach. There were locals on the bus we had to drop off but about 15 minutes later he dropped us off at GRAPE BEACH. My husband asked if he could pick us up at 4:30 and he said YES!. The beach was one of the most amazing public beaches I have ever been to (we live in FL). It was mostly empty, there was a nice play ground. We bought chairs/umbrella's to use and had a FANTASTIC time. The water was clean and so clear. The sand was soft and had no rocks. I could have stayed there all day..infact as soon as I got home today I was looking up resorts in Grand Cayman hoping to return one day... (any recommendations?). when we were packing up our stuff to head to the parking lot around 4:30 we were approached by two different taxi drivers..they were trying to convince us to ride with them and said the public bus will likely not come back to get us..but RIGHT AT 4:30 the city bus came back to get us, we were so thankful the driver kept his word..he had other cruise passengers already on the bus too. (we Tipped him to and from). Grand Cayman is just beautiful and was my favorite port. The island is very clean with the clearest water we have ever seen, we felt safe in this port. The public transportation worked out great..not sure if we just got lucky or not though. There seems to have been few taxis/ busses going pass the turtle farm so that is something to keep in mind and a bit of a risk if you decide to do it on your own.
Falmouth Jewel Beach Break Excursion:
Our excursion time for jamaica was 7:45am in the walt disney theater. As I was approaching the theater there was a LONG line outside of the theater that went all the way into the atrium for ALL different excursions checking in. Our grand cayman excursion check in was quick and everyone was heading out of the boat within 10 minutes so I was NOT expecting such a long line and wait for the Falmouth excursion. I believe it was around 8:45 when our bus left. The tour guide on the bus was friendly and pointed out many things on the way to the resort..I would say the bus ride was about 35-40 minutes long. When we got to the resort some friendly employees met our group and walked us through the resort pointing out the restaurants..(one was open serving breakfast)..the others didnt open until around 11am..they walked us to the back where the newly built water park is. (IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This excursion DOES include the water park..there was ALOT of confusion before our trip..disney shore excursion cast members said it DID NOT include the water park when I called and emailed..this was SUPER frustrating. A friendly Disboards member messaged me and confirmed that their clients had just went on this excursion and it absolutely DID include the water park). So we get to the water park area and they proceed to tell us that it doesnt open until 10am (it was 9:30)..this was super frustrating because we were supposed to meet in the lobby to leave at 1:30. I was already beginning to feel like this excursion was not a great value as we were only there for 4 hours...but anyways. people started going into the water park a good 20minutes before 10am and no employees said anything. The two tall slides did not open until 10am though. There was a really nice lazy river with plenty of blow up tubes and two really cute kiddie splash areas with little slides. All 3 of the kids (and adults) had a blast. A little snack area by the pool opened at 10am where they have nachos, fries, drinks, jerk chicken quesadillas (yum!) and hot dogs, wings. I will say most everyone was not tipping, we tipped $1-2 per drink though..but fromt what I saw no one was tipping.
After hanging out at the water park we went to the beach. The beach area was really nice. They had a netted in area and an area that was open with no nets. There were little sail boats you can use that was included in the price however an employee had to go with you and operate it. there were plenty of chairs by the beach.
We also swam in both pools. The pool near the beach was great for little ones because there was a big shallow pool area perfect for my 2year old niece and a deeper pool next to it with a bar/infinity pool. The other large pool on property had a volley ball net and basketball hoop but there was no shallow area for the kids. We didnt stay long in this pool because we saw TWO pool lights completely pop out into the water. Employees came about 10 minutes later and popped them back in but the wires sticking out looked like a big safety hazard to me so we didnt get back in. We ate lunch at a buffet around 11:30. The food was fresh and was a nice change from the cruise food. There was spaghetti, fried chicken, fresh fried rice(yum!), plenty of fruit, sandwiches, etc. Servers walked around taking drink orders. Met in the lobby at 1:30 and the bus pulled away by 2pm.
Overall we really liked the resort and all the employees were friendly, nice amenities (except the popped pool lights) however we felt really disappointed with the amount of time we had to enjoy the resort.It took WAAAYYY too long to check in on the ship and leave...we really only had 4 hours at the resort before we had to leave..not really sure the value was there for the amount of money we paid $$$.
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