Best Excursions on the Fantasy Western?

[MAGICFOR2]

I am helping a friend plan for their Western on the Disney Fantasy in September. I just wanted some feedback from those who have visited these ports. Did you have a favorite excursion, and why? Any disappointments? TIA

 

[Doofenshmirtz513]

There have been some good threads on this in the recent past. Last summer, we really enjoyed the Fury Catamaran in Cozumel and the bobsled and Dunn's River Falls trip in Falmouth. Both were fairly active excursions, and both parents and kids had a great time all day.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Thanks so much! I will search for threads too. I didn't see it, but only looked a couple of pages back.

 

[CamColt]

In Jamaica we enjoyed the Tranopy Adventure (bobsled and zip lining).
In Cozumel we usually go to Paradise Beach on our own. It works out well, not expensive, and it's a nice place!

 

[jrabbit]

Cozumel
if you like ziplining - you will love XPLOR park at Playa del Carmen (Cozumel). It is on the mainland. When you book through the cruise, the ferry docks where DCL docks, so its a short walk, then the crossing to the mainland, a short walk through town, a short bus ride, no lines to get into the park.

Its an expensive excursion but we have had a blast both times we did it.

There are two zipline courses - do them back to back so you don't have to wait to gear up a second time
There is jeep driving course(s) - both on land and in tunnels underground
There is the underground river - a short course and a longer course - if you have time do the longer course - the exit is Awesome!!
The underground river also has rafts - for one and two people - I'd do the "swimming, walking, bobbing along" (above) before doing the rafts
Lunch Buffet - OK, not horrible, not great

We wore our swimsuits under our clothes on the trip over so after we got our locker all we had to do was peel off the outside layer toss it in the locker and off we went. Remember First up is ziplining so for the ladies, wear shorts and a mesh shirt, guys, also wear the mesh top. There are a couple of waterslides in the middle of the zipline courses.

You possibly could arrange this excursion on your own, but the transportation issues (ferry, taxi) make booking through DCL the better option in my opinion - unless DCL is staying LATE in Coz (they do this sometimes)

Jamaica
And here is a second for the "Falls and Bobsled" excursion in Jamaica!!! Walking up Dunn's River Falls was a blast and is right up there as one of the coolest things that we have done. Bring $40 to buy the DVD they make of your climb (I think thats what we paid - might have only been $20). As a note - you WILL get wet climbing the falls - dress appropriately. I didn't bring a dry shirt to change into (no bottoms either). I would have preferred climbing (walking really) up wearing a mesh shirt along with my swim suit, then having the dry shirt to change into.

The bobsleds are fun, but it is to California Screamin' what Humunga Kowabunga is to the AquaDuck - fun!! but its not a thrill ride. That being said, I would consider skipping the lunch that is served up there and purchase additional rides on the bobsled. Then grab a quick plate and eat on the chairlift ride back down the mountain. Due to the number of people on this excursion, half go to the Dunn's Falls first and the other half do the Bobsleds / lunch first.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Thanks so much for all that great information! I'm excited to see what they decide to do.

 

[tigerchic89]

We loved Stingray City in GC

 

[klasjdfa]

We did the Secret River in Cozumel - it was expensive, but awesome and well worth the price. There's no photography allowed in the cave, so bring some extra money to buy pictures. In GC, we did Stingray City - probably the best bang-for-your-buck of any DCL excursion we've been on. In Jamaica, we did the Chuka River tubing which was more fun than I expected it to be. The kids loved it too, as our guide gave the kids the option to jump in the water and swim.

 

[oakleycat]

Last year we did Xel-Ha in Cozumel, which was great but we didn't have enough time there. We were going to do Stingray City in Grand Cayman but our excursion was cancelled so we just hit the beach.

 

[DebHorner04]

We did the Dolphin Swim at Dolphinaris. This was a great introduction for our dolphin-loving daughter (age 9). We absolutely LOVED the Sea Trek Helmet Dive in Grand Cayman!!! You go down about 30 feet with a special helmet----this was amazing!!! Have fun!!!!

 

[islandsnoopy]

We did the 12-Metre Regatta excursion in Cozumel. Think there were about 20 people on each yacht, and we were the crew. You can opt for an active role and participate in sailing or non-active and enjoy the ride. The yachts were in the America's Cup and are beautiful. We sailed on the Stars and Stripes and the other yacht was the True North. We had a fantastic time and would definitely do this excursion again!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We did nachi cocum the first time in Cozumel and loved it. The next time we tried mr sanchos and hated it. We did both places on our own.

 

[quickcat]

We did the Secret River in Cozumel - it was expensive, but awesome and well worth the price. There's no photography allowed in the cave, so bring some extra money to buy pictures. In GC, we did Stingray City - probably the best bang-for-your-buck of any DCL excursion we've been on. In Jamaica, we did the Chuka River tubing which was more fun than I expected it to be. The kids loved it too, as our guide gave the kids the option to jump in the water and swim.

What did you think about the travel time to get to the secret river? I always look at this one but the travel time always scares me.

 

[quickcat]

We did nachi cocum the first time in Cozumel and loved it. The next time we tried mr sanchos and hated it. We did both places on our own.

What did you not like about Sanchos? I was reading you can rent jet skis and 4wheelers from there which my 17 year old would love but if you didn't like it because it's dirty and gross then we would definitely pass. Thanks in advance!

 

[MSPeeler]

I'm in the same boat as OP, but looking for a great excursion for a multi-generational family in Grand Cayman (age 4- 72!)
I see a lot of excursions have age restrictions that my 4 years old just won't make Any ideas? We are not adventurous.

 

[quickcat]

I'm in the same boat as OP, but looking for a great excursion for a multi-generational family in Grand Cayman (age 4- 72!)
I see a lot of excursions have age restrictions that my 4 years old just won't make Any ideas? We are not adventurous.

In Grand Cayman we used Fat Fish Adventures and would highly recommend them. Very professional. We used them twice and always had a great time.

 

[soniam]

For snorkeling, we love Reef, Catamaran, and Kittiwake snorkel in Grand Cayman.

The Atlantis sub is expensive, but Cozumel is a great place to do it. It's pretty family friendly too. I know that we did the sub on RCCL when our son was 4. You get to see a ton of fish. The space is tight though, so not good for claustrophobics.

I think the Green Grotto cave in Jamaica would work for a 4 year old, but the older people in your group may not like the walking and a little bit of crouching.

 

[MSPeeler]

For snorkeling, we love Reef, Catamaran, and Kittiwake snorkel in Grand Cayman.

The Atlantis sub is expensive, but Cozumel is a great place to do it. It's pretty family friendly too. I know that we did the sub on RCCL when our son was 4. You get to see a ton of fish. The space is tight though, so not good for claustrophobics.

I think the Green Grotto cave in Jamaica would work for a 4 year old, but the older people in your group may not like the walking and a little bit of crouching.

I'd LOVE the cave, but my MIL broke her ankle when she was young, and it swells pretty quickly when she is on it for long. I thought the age minimum on that said 6 though.

 

[soniam]

I'd LOVE the cave, but my MIL broke her ankle when she was young, and it swells pretty quickly when she is on it for long. I thought the age minimum on that said 6 though.

I would think a 4 year old could do it, but it may say 6. DS was definitely old enough, so I didn't remember the minimum age. I thought it might not work for the older members of your group. Sorry

 

[klasjdfa]

What did you think about the travel time to get to the secret river? I always look at this one but the travel time always scares me.

Our meeting time was at 7:45am in the D-Lounge, so it was an early start but not as bad as it sounds because of the +1hr time change. We had to take a water taxi from Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen. The water taxis are next to the ship, so there was no need to exit the secure port area. I think it was about a 30 minute boat ride? To me, every ride on a water taxi seems like a 30 minute ride, regardless of where you are going. We walked thru town and hopped on a shuttle van... for a (yes you guessed it) 30 minute shuttle bus ride - most of it was on a dirt road. The van was enclosed and air conditioned. We got to the Secret River around 10:00am and were back in Playa Del Carmen after 2pm. It gave us enough time to explore at bit, have Häagen-Dazs and look for some geocaches. Everyone took the 3:30 taxi back to Cozumel.