1st cruise - no excursions?

[Tulles]

We will be going on ouright 1st ever cruise in November. Western Caribbean on the Fantasy (Merry time Christmas).
None of us have ever been outside of Canada or the US.

This will be a Wish trip for my 8 y.o. daughter. The costs are covered so are some excursions if we choose to include them.

Since we've never been we wondered if we need excursions? Would it be enough to wander around each port for a while and then return to the ship?

Will we be missing out if we don't book things? We don't want to overdo things.

 

[Imahikergirl]

I would take a look at the excursions. There are some that wouldn't be too strenuous and reasonably priced. Right around the ports tend to be mostly shops and some restaurants.

 

[dcassetta]

In both Jamaica and Grand Cayman, the area right around the port is nice for wondering and doing a little shopping. The port at Falmouth is secure. The tourist area by the port in Cozumel, I don't find as nice. Mostly because it is sort of an overpriced tourist mall not particularly attractive. You might consider a relaxing beach day in Cozumel, Playa Mia is nice for families and is very active. Nachi Cocom is beautiful relaxed and serene.

 

[Shanti]

The Fantasy is so nice, I would totally be "onboard" with skipping excursions. I remember waking up on port days, just wishing they were sea days. But my active, curious son always wanted to check out the islands, so off we went. Have you asked your daughter her preference? There's no right or wrong answer to this one. Frankly, we found the non-Castaway (i.e. real) Caribbean islands to be pretty depressing.

 

[Tulles]

The only thing she's expressed interest in is going to The Mexico Mall. She's not really aware of the differences of the islands versus North America. I know her older brother wants to swim with dolphins or sting rays and I was looking at Grand Cayman for that.

We just don't want to be tied up for too many hours.

 

[lklgoodman]

We swam with dolphins in Cozumel. We went to Dolphin Discovery. There's other things to do there if you want after you're done with the swim. My dd was 8 yrs old when we did it. We all really enjoyed it. They have taxis leaving at different times, so you could leave if you didn't want to stay. We enjoyed the sea lion show and a nice lunch on the beach. The show is free and they also have a pool that is free to use. We were going to swim with stingrays at Grand Caymans but rough seas cancelled the excursion. We were able to do the stingray excursion at Castaway Cay, it was nice.

 

[Tulles]

We swam with dolphins in Cozumel. We went to Dolphin Discovery. There's other things to do there if you want after you're done with the swim. My dd was 8 yrs old when we did it. We all really enjoyed it. They have taxis leaving at different times, so you could leave if you didn't want to stay. We enjoyed the sea lion show and a nice lunch on the beach. The show is free and they also have a pool that is free to use. We were going to swim with stingrays at Grand Caymans but rough seas cancelled the excursion. We were able to do the stingray excursion at Castaway Cay, it was nice.

Did you book this through DCL directly?

 

[lklgoodman]

Did you book this through DCL directly?

Yes, so when our excursion was cancelled we received a full refund.

 

[DisneyConvert]

We've done 11 cruises and relatively few excursions. We do get off the ship and typically have a plan, and often a reservation (via pre-Cruise research and TripAdvisor), but rarely with DCL as their offerings are limited (to those who aren't physically active) and expensive.

So, I would ask a different question . . . Before you look at what DCL is trying to sell you with regards to various excursions, "What is it that you and your family would like to do in Cozumel, Jamaica, etc.?"

Suggest you read some guidebooks or websites to help you answer that question.
THEN, decide what you want to do wrto your time and your money at each port.
Be safe and have fun!

 

[Mickeymouseisking]

The Fantasy is so nice, I would totally be "onboard" with skipping excursions. I remember waking up on port days, just wishing they were sea days. But my active, curious son always wanted to check out the islands, so off we went. Have you asked your daughter her preference? There's no right or wrong answer to this one. Frankly, we found the non-Castaway (i.e. real) Caribbean islands to be pretty depressing.

We felt the same way...personally I would only go on an excursion as I don't find the islands pleasant to stroll. But I'd also be completely happy with just hanging out onboard, which is what we did on our Med cruise - we opted to stay onboard for 2 out of 4 of the ports of call and had a blast!!

 

[cmph]

My kids' ideal cruise would not include excursions! Really - it's what your family wants to do that matters. Don't feel obligated to do excursions b/c that's what people usually seem to do, or feel like you have to all do the same thing together.