Excursion in Cozumel. Caves, Caverns and Paradise Lagoon (CZ79)

goofy4prez

A guy can love Disney and still keep his man card!
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Ok, I am a rarity I will admit. I and my family have to be about the only people on earth who do not enjoy sitting on a beach all day. We will be doing a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy in June. A couple of hours on the beach in the Grand Cayman and our main beach day at Castaway Cay will do for us.

A long intro to get to my question. LOL... Have any of you done this excursion before to visit the cenotes and also a trip to a natural aquarium to snorkel as well. There will also be a lunch and some beach time as well. One thing holding me back though is we will have no time in Cozumel to shop and explore. Don't know if that is a loss or not. I'm curious. Very last minute looking over excursions, but I will be booking our excursions tonight when the clock strikes midnight. LOL

Perhaps a few other recommendations if any have a few. I'd love to see the Tulum ruins, but that is a whole lot of travel back and forth to see them. I'm willing if any feel it is a must see.

While I'm at it. :goodvibes Any thoughts on Grand Cayman (Think we will do Stingray City) and Falmouth Jamaica. We'd like to do the bobsled and Dunns River, but I have heard it is sold out. If it is, any thoughts for this port? Sorry, all. A veteran of WDW, but a complete rookie and newbie to Disney cruise or any cruise for that matter.
 
You're right that a trip to Tulum would be too much travel to make it worthwhile. However, just this past January, (7-d WBC) we did the Mayan ruins, Chocolate and Beach tour. Plenty of time to explore ruins, a great Chocolate factory (Yes, samples) and a short time for a beach drink and some shopping. It was a nice balance and a good use of time. We wanted to experience Cozumel without feeling rushed through events. In Jamaica, we did the Adventurers Tour...zip lining, rafting down the Martha Brae, pool, aviary and lunch (to buy on your own). The zip-lining was great! The rafting was very peaceful. Guides were terrific. Beautiful grounds at Good Hope Estate. In Cayman, we did the Dolphin Encounter. Great fun! We had a spunky little dolphin who loved to play. Have a great time....it's a great cruise!
 
We just got off the Fantasy (7 day western), and booked all of our excursions through DCL.

In Cozumel, we did the Amazing Secret River (Rio Secreto). Because the caves are in Playa Del Carmen, there's a 30 minute ferry ride each way, and we made it back to the ship with 5 minutes to spare before boarding time. We got about 30 minutes free time in Playa Del Carmen after the caves and before the ferry ride back if you want to shop, but everyone in our group headed for the beach. The caves are amazing - there's 5 different routes, and it's a 90 minute guided tour in the underground caves. The route varies between walking on rocky terrain to wading in water that's ankle deep to 10ft deep and you need to float/swim through. We were accompanied by a guide as well as a photographer, as you're not allowed to bring any phones/cameras/etc. The USB package with all photos is $99. Our boys (9 and 12) deemed this their favorite excursion. Lunch is included.

In Grand Cayman we did the dolphin swim and Stingray City. Stingray City was crowded, and having been there before with a private vendor, I feel that if we were to go again, I would not book this excursion through Disney. There were too many people in our group for the stingrays and every family got one interaction with the stingray (more of a photo op that they try to upsell you - you hold the ray, kiss the ray, and then the guide moves on to the next family). We did not buy the stingray pictures. The dolphin experience is a lot better. We had a group of 9, so it was a manageable group. Pictures for the dolphins are $60 per person. Lunch was not included in this excursion, but there's a food stand at the dolphin place.

In Jamaica, we did the bobsledding and Dunn's River Falls. Dunn's River Falls is so fun - my boys had this as their second favorite activity. Our bus did the bobsledding first, lunch was provided at Mystic Mountain, and then we were taken to Dunn's River Falls. The climb up the waterfall was amazing, with a lot of different stops to slide down a small rock slide, or be completely submerged behind a small waterfall. There was a guide to help move the group along and a videographer that filmed clips as well as took still shots of the family. The DVD that they sell you at the end is $40 with all the video clips and stills. The quality is poor - fuzzy pictures, but we were glad we got the family pictures.
 


We booked all of our shore excursions privately. We had a private boat in Cozumel and it was incredible, went to El Cielo (the sky) and the water is like a swimming pool, crystal clear and so warm .Snorkeing ,swimming and relaxing. We would do it again in a heartbeat!!

In Cayman we did stingray city but we did it on Wave Runners!!! Its such a cool tour!!!https://grandcaymancruiseexcursions...norkeling-excursion-grand-cayman-waverunners/ . its the perfect location for waverunners and the water is so calm . We enjoyed this soooo much

In Jamaica we booked a Dunns River tour with tubing and that was fun as well!!
 
We enjoy the Reef & Kittiwake Snorkel in Grand Cayman. We have done it twice, and it's always one of the best snorkeling excursions we do on vacation or cruises.

You could probably do a private excursion to the falls in Jamaica. However, ours ran pretty late last time; I am glad that it was on Disney to make sure we got back to the ship. We weren't late, but I think we would have been if it had been a private tour. Most of the excursions in Jamaica have a long bus ride to the other side of the island, where all of the attractions are. We've done the falls twice now and are finished with it. We did the cave in Jamaica once. It wasn't bad, but I don't think I would bother again. Next cruise we will stay on the ship in Jamaica.
 
We booked all of our shore excursions privately. We had a private boat in Cozumel and it was incredible, went to El Cielo (the sky) and the water is like a swimming pool, crystal clear and so warm .Snorkeing ,swimming and relaxing. We would do it again in a heartbeat!!

In Cayman we did stingray city but we did it on Wave Runners!!! Its such a cool tour!!!https://grandcaymancruiseexcursions...norkeling-excursion-grand-cayman-waverunners/ . its the perfect location for waverunners and the water is so calm . We enjoyed this soooo much

In Jamaica we booked a Dunns River tour with tubing and that was fun as well!!
Can you please let me know which private tour did you use in Cozumel? It sounds really nice! I was considering the one offered by Playa Mia that has a stop in El Cielo but it would be nice just to spend some time there and get back on the ship.
 



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