Help plan our port adventures on a western Caribbean trip at end of February

[abuck75]

Cast: DS (5), DS(9), DW, me.

Ports: Cozumel, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, Castaway Cay

Likely will have access to cabana on Castaway Cay.

Activities we want, in order.

- Swim with the dolphins - ALL
- Swim with Stingrays - DS(5) and dad
- Pool/Beach day (preferably where mom could get massage)
- Light shopping or stay on ship day.

It seems like pool/beach, and dolphins are available at all three ports. To hit each of these activities, where would you plan each?

 

[DisneyGirlMI]

We did the Dolphin Swim & Stingray City in Grand Cayman. It was amazing. We saw so many stingrays on the sandbar. Dozens of them! The Dolphin Swim was just as amazing. There were 9 of us in one group. Everyone gets to swim out and ride the dolphin in, then swim out and be pushed in by the dolphin on a boogie board. Plus there was a lot of interaction with the dolphin on the platform. Very cool!

 

[abuck75]

Awesome. Thanks.

That would make me lean toward Cozumel for beach/pool day.

I wonder if ds9 and dw could just do dolphin swim with us and skip stingray city

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We did the stingray city snorkel (G09) in Grand Cayman and it was amazing. More of a snorkeling adventure than the gobs of stingrays you see in the brochures. There were always ~10 fully mature stingrays around at all times, but the coral, fish and impossibly clear water was just as much of a draw. The water's deep (10+ feet) but the reef, stingrays and water really made it a memory for our family to remember. Our kids were 11, 9 & 9 when we did it and the twins were the last ones out of the water. The write up implies ~45 minutes in the water, but we swam for 2+ hours.

 

[adg06]

Definitely Grand Cayman for the stingrays. If you are looking for a beach day in Cozumel, look up Paradise Beach. It came highly recommended to me, and it was in our plans before we had to change. Easy cab ride to & from, super cheap day pass, and inflatables and trampolines in the water. Not sure about a massage there though.

 

[Tulip2796]

We did the swimming with dolphins in Cozumel at Chakkanab (spelling?) and had a good experience. Besides the dolphins we saw a little bit of the park, swam in the pool and had lunch. The swimmimg with sting rays we did at CC with my then 6 year old. He loved it.

 

[abuck75]

So I think I'm struggling with the following currently

- Cozumel seems to have both the best "Beach/Pool" experiences, and dolphin swim.
- Grand Cayman seems best for Stingray, but only the 5 year old wants to go, so I'm not sure if we could do dolphin swim as a family and then the 2 of us have time for stringrays
- Are stingrays in Castaway Cay plentiful enough in February we could reasonably rely on the ability to see them there for the 5 yo.
- Costa Maya just doesn't seem to offer much other than Ruins, but I also assume many people will stay on the ship there.

 

[lklgoodman]

We were going to do the stingrays in Grand Cayman last January, but it was cancelled the night before because of rough tides, a lot of port adventures were cancelled. The weather was perfect warm and sunny, but it was too rough to do the tendering. We ended up doing the stingrays at CC. The stingrays at cc are in an enclosed area. They have them swim up onto a circular ramp and that's where you feed them. Afterwards you can swim around with them, again in the enclosed area. One plus about the cc stingrays is that they have their barbs filed off, so not as dangerous as the wild ones. Haven't heard of the ones at GC ever hurting anyone either though, however those are more wild than the ones at cc. My dd, 8 yrs at the time enjoyed doing it at CC. We also did the dolphin swim at dolphin discovery at Cozumel, loved it, so much to do there afterwards that is included in the cost of doing the dolphins--beach, pool, sea lion show, restaurants, and more.

 

[abuck75]

Thank you. I think I'm leaning toward Sting Rays at CC with the little one, which means dolphins day and beach day will be cozumel and Grand Caymen, or visa versa.

 

[KashasMom]

Definitely Chankanaab for the Dolphin swim. You can stay at the beach after the Dolphins. Paradise Beach is also an excellent option in Cozumel.

We went with Native Choice in Costa Maya - excellent tour. This is the one we did with them (my daughter was 5 at the time) - https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/chacchoben-ruins-tour. I'd recommend any tour with them.

 

[Dug720]

I haven't been yet, but I'm reserved at Maya Chan at Costa Maya for Feb 2019. It has great reviews. http://costamayabeachresort.com

I will just point out that I have seen the stingray thing (and all other excursions other than cabanas) canceled at Castaway before. I mean, there are no guarantees of any ports, but I know depending on weather and currents the things on Castaway may get cancelled.

 

[abuck75]

As this evolves, I think I've determined the following:

- "swimming" with the Dolphins is the #1 think my two sons want to do (Thanks EvanTube). While I think Mom and Dad would really like Nachi Cocom, I fear that the boys could get restless waiting for a later port, so best to knock this out in Cozumel at Dolphin Discovery Chankanaab and then if there is time we can explore there (maybe while Mom hits the spa there). Anyone had a massage at their spa? Another added benefit is if this gets cancelled for some reason, we could still try to do dolphin swim at a later stop.

- The only other thing the boys talk about is my 5 year old really wants to do "stingrays" with Dad (mom and 9 year old don't). While I'm tempted to wait for Castaway Cay for this, I also know late February weather might prevent that from being the same experience, so probably best to arrange for the 2 of us in Grand Cayman and then meet Mom and DS9 at a beach, or shopping area.

- Would really like a beachfront swimming pool experience, but likely need to skip this trip. I'm thinking Costa Maya is a good stay on the ship day with maybe a brief trip to the port.

 

[Disneyfun4all]

We had the BEST time ever in Costa Maya (2 adults and 10 year old). Reserve beach chairs or a table at Tropicante and you wont be disappointed! The owner is from the US and will "reserve" space on the beach for you, just take a cab over to the restaurant. We spent the entire day there eating, drinking and playing in the sand and water. Food and drinks are very reasonably priced.
http://www.sandalsandskis.com/tropicante.html

 

[abuck75]

Thanks for the heads up on Costa Maya.

I travel to Mexico approximately 20 times a year for work and have become very comfortable with cabs/etc, but I know DW is a bit more cautious, especially with the kids. I will try and convince her we should do this for a couple hours on the day in Costa Maya. On the website it says they can only hold reservations for 2 hours after ship arrives in port, but with 7:00 AM arrival not sure I want to rush there by 9:00 AM.

 

[wombat_5606]

I haven't been yet, but I'm reserved at Maya Chan at Costa Maya for Feb 2019. It has great reviews. http://costamayabeachresort.com

I must say, @Dug720, this place looks amazing! I am definitely looking into this.

 

[Dug720]

I must say, @Dug720, this place looks amazing! I am definitely looking into this.

Everything I've read about them has been amazing! I contacted them about a possible reservation and asked about gluten-free options and they said "No problem! We've got it noted and it is not an issue." I'll definitely review after I go...though that's Feb 2019.

 

[wombat_5606]

@Dug720, unfortunately, I'm on one of the altered cruises this fall. So, if I go, I will post a review for you. Sadly, I won't be able to address your gluten-free options.

I have 3 concerns. We are only in port 5 hours, from 12:45-5:45. We are traveling with a 5 year old. We had a Palo reservation for that day when it was the EC itinerary.

So, I think I want to get my Palo changed first. I have to decide if I want to put the 5 year old in a cab for 20+(x 2) minutes without a car seat. Finally, will all of this be worth it for a chance on the weather not being nice enough(with a 5 year old).

If I was going by myself or just with my husband, I would do it in a hearbeat.

 

[Dug720]

@Dug720, unfortunately, I'm on one of the altered cruises this fall. So, if I go, I will post a review for you. Sadly, I won't be able to address your gluten-free options.

I have 3 concerns. We are only in port 5 hours, from 12:45-5:45. We are traveling with a 5 year old. We had a Palo reservation for that day when it was the EC itinerary.

So, I think I want to get my Palo changed first. I have to decide if I want to put the 5 year old in a cab for 20+(x 2) minutes without a car seat. Finally, will all of this be worth it for a chance on the weather not being nice enough(with a 5 year old).

If I was going by myself or just with my husband, I would do it in a hearbeat.

Definitely understandable the concerns - especially the short time in port.