Cruising after Heart Surgery (Western Caribbean)

[Jen_R]

Background: I'll start by saying we are one week from my husband's completely unexpected heart surgery. I won't go into all the medical details but he's only 50 but we discovered that he has a bicuspid valve (2-parts instead of 3) that over time caused an aneurism in his aorta. So we are quietly waiting for his surgery. We cancelled our mid-August WDW trip (7-nights at the Poly) that we had been planning for 2 years. It was suppose to be for our 1st wedding anniversary - filled with great dining reservations, dessert parties, etc., etc. We know we'll eventually get there and we are beyond thankful his heart condition was caught. All this being said, his cardiologist thinks is in full support of a cruise to celebration his rehabilitation. We felt WDW would be way too much walking and not as relaxing as a cruise.

Cruise: The cruise we're looking at is a Western Caribbean on the Fantasy in late October. I've been on the Dream and know these are big ships. We'll be thinking about strategies to be sure it's a relaxing trip without expectations of doing it all.

Questions: We've been thinking about each of the Ports of Call - Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Falmouth. All we really want to do is find a beach where we can sit with some shade, take a walk along the beach, and dip our toes in the water (I don't think he'll be allowed to go in the ocean yet). Last time we were in the Caymans we just went to a public beach (by bus) and sat under a tree by the beach. We'd probably keep those plans. We'd just love opinions for Cozumel and Falmouth. We consider just staying on the ship but I know we'll want to at least get off and see a little.

Anyone have any ideas of something that's centered on the beach, super relaxing, and doesn't cost a lot?

Thanks in advance!
Jen

 

[ktate82]

We love Paradise Beach in Cozumel. We walked through the shopping area at the port and got a cab for about $20 each way. It was around $3 to get in ($18 for a fun pass to use the inflatables, paddle boarding, and other stuff, but it doesn't sound like you will be doing that) and they ask that you spend $10 each person on food or drinks. We brought bottled water from the ship and ordered nachos. The nachos were amazing! When we arrived, there was plenty of seating on the beach in the shade and sun. They also have a beautiful pool.

 

[Jen_R]

We love Paradise Beach in Cozumel. We walked through the shopping area at the port and got a cab for about $20 each way. It was around $3 to get in ($18 for a fun pass to use the inflatables, paddle boarding, and other stuff, but it doesn't sound like you will be doing that) and they ask that you spend $10 each person on food or drinks. We brought bottled water from the ship and ordered nachos. The nachos were amazing! When we arrived, there was plenty of seating on the beach in the shade and sun. They also have a beautiful pool.

Cozumel was the one port I've been really torn about so it's good to read about Paradise Beach. With four of us cruising (we'll be taking my older teen/adult children), it still adds up to a bit for laying on the beach. We're okay with that but is the beach really nice? The kids will still want to get in the ocean and we will just want to enjoy looking at it and hearing the waves.

I've been to Cozumel. Once we got off and kind of walked through the shopping area. It was okay and I could have just skipped it. The 2nd time I did the excursion to Tulum. The tour part was horrible but we loved the beach. I have never seen more beautiful water. I would love to go to Tulum and just enjoy the ocean but it just takes so long to get there.

I think I'll look up more info about Paradise Beach! Thanks!

 

[Heatherdbby]

Cozumel with Disney and Princess Cays with carnival are both bucket list items for me!

 

[ktate82]

Cozumel was the one port I've been really torn about so it's good to read about Paradise Beach. With four of us cruising (we'll be taking my older teen/adult children), it still adds up to a bit for laying on the beach. We're okay with that but is the beach really nice? The kids will still want to get in the ocean and we will just want to enjoy looking at it and hearing the waves.

I've been to Cozumel. Once we got off and kind of walked through the shopping area. It was okay and I could have just skipped it. The 2nd time I did the excursion to Tulum. The tour part was horrible but we loved the beach. I have never seen more beautiful water. I would love to go to Tulum and just enjoy the ocean but it just takes so long to get there.

I think I'll look up more info about Paradise Beach! Thanks!

For the 4 of us, we spent about $175 with nachos, quesadilla, DH and I ordered an alcoholic drink each, taxi ride, and the fun pass for the 4 of us (and tips). It was a lot for a "beach day", but it was the second best excursion we have had in 6 cruises. The kids had a blast on the inflatables (so did we), and the pool was amazing. We have been to Cozumel before and the beaches are more rocky than fine sand. We wore water shoes because of that, but if you stayed more to the left of the beach, it was more sandy. You can still get in the water without the fun pass, just can't use the inflatables or water sport stuff.

 

[Jen_R]

For the 4 of us, we spent about $175 with nachos, quesadilla, DH and I ordered an alcoholic drink each, taxi ride, and the fun pass for the 4 of us (and tips).

Thanks for sharing the cost break down - it really helps with our planning. We're going to have a lot of options to think about and it's all going to depend on our final budgets. While we have great insurance, there's still our deductible, lots of medications, etc. We're trying to save all our refunded WDW money for next summer. This cruise is going to be a bit of an extra. Like you said, we can do without the fun pass if we want and we won't get drinks. So it will go on the list of possibilities! Thanks!

 

[Geomom]

Make sure you buy trip insurance with a preexisting medical clause within 2 weeks of booking the cruise. We buy our trip insurance shortly before PIF date, but we don't need the preexisting medical clause yet. We get it partly due to the cost of medical evacuation from the ship, being in foreign countries, etc. If you have passports, I would bring those as well in case anyone needed to fly home for any reason.

Best wishes for your DH and your whole family. That sounds like a wonderful trip to take after his surgery!

 

[Jen_R]

Because of the fact that we are booking this so late we are going to have to pay in full when we book it. Disney insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions (they have some weird 60 day rule but it will be more than 60 days from surgery - but I think the fact that he'll still be having cardiac rehab will not work).

Anyone know if there are any insurances that let you purchase a coverage with pre-existing conditions on the same date as you pay the trip? Or can I buy it before I book it?

 

[ktate82]

Because of the fact that we are booking this so late we are going to have to pay in full when we book it. Disney insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions (they have some weird 60 day rule but it will be more than 60 days from surgery - but I think the fact that he'll still be having cardiac rehab will not work).

Anyone know if there are any insurances that let you purchase a coverage with pre-existing conditions on the same date as you pay the trip? Or can I buy it before I book it?

Check out insure my trip. It allows you to compare a lot of different trip insurance plans and some of them have the cancel for any reason or pre-existing conditions. Just read through the fine print. They will also let you compare them side by side, which I find handy instead of trying to remember which one had which options.

 

[dcassetta]

You've gotten some good advice about Cozumel, so I'll mention Jamaica. The dock in Falmouth has been well build up by Royal Caribbean, there are a variety of shops there. You'll also find there's a Margaritaville that has a very nice pool area. They have lots of loungers and both shade and sun, servers come out to the pool area, and you can get a bite to eat at the restaurant. There are beaches in the Falmouth area but they would take a taxi ride, or a Disney excursion to go on. That may be more than your husband would like to do.

 

[buddyjo143]

We love Paradise Beach in Cozumel. We walked through the shopping area at the port and got a cab for about $20 each way. It was around $3 to get in ($18 for a fun pass to use the inflatables, paddle boarding, and other stuff, but it doesn't sound like you will be doing that) and they ask that you spend $10 each person on food or drinks. We brought bottled water from the ship and ordered nachos. The nachos were amazing! When we arrived, there was plenty of seating on the beach in the shade and sun. They also have a beautiful pool.

Paradise Beach is our go to on the last 4 cruises. We never buy the fun pass; don't need it to just bob around in the water. So we spend $40 ish on cab fare are $26 ish for admission, food, and tip. It's considerably less expensive than other shore excursions.

The beauty here for your husband could be that you sit on the beach and later, he could go sit on the edge of the pool.

 

[Jen_R]

There are beaches in the Falmouth area but they would take a taxi ride, or a Disney excursion to go on. That may be more than your husband would like to do.

Good to know about the beaches here. This is the one port that I've never been to so it was actually the one that I was most excited about.

 

[Jen_R]

Paradise Beach is our go to on the last 4 cruises. We never buy the fun pass; don't need it to just bob around in the water. So we spend $40 ish on cab fare are $26 ish for admission, food, and tip. It's considerably less expensive than other shore excursions.

The beauty here for your husband could be that you sit on the beach and later, he could go sit on the edge of the pool.

Thanks for sharing how much you spend here. It's always good to be able to compare pricing and options.

 

[Racer X]

I'll just say best of luck to your husband and your family for a successful procedure.

 

[Dreamingofdisneyvacay]

Wishing your husband the very best!

My oldest had open heart surgery at 17 (previously undiscovered congenital heart defects). Since I'm not familiar with areas you are considering, the only piece of advice I'd throw out is for him to find t-shirts that are sun resistant to protect his scar. We were warned to keep the area away from sun -- both for pain and cosmetic reasons.

Hopefully, his recovery will be as smooth as hers was -- she was pretty much back to normal activity levels in 2-3 months.