Looking for Non Beach western excursions

[cruisnfamily]

We live in FL so we do the beach plenty and Castaway Cay will be our beach day so we are looking for non beach things to do on the other days. So many of the excursion threads are filled with beach excursions so I thought I'd start my own thread to avoid those. We're not anti-water or snorkeling, just don't want to spend the day sitting on the beach. We are 2 middle aged adults

In Mexico, I would love to hear reviews of the 2 cooking excursions. Also, It looks like many of the excursions involve a ferry followed by a long bus ride, we're not really in doing that either. There were some sightseeing or ruins type excursions that did not involve the long travel to the mainland so we'd be interested to hear about those.

In Jamaica, we don't want to do Dunn's river falls, done that twice already. Interested more in sightseeing.

In Grand Cayman, we're done stingray city a few times and are undecided if we want to do that again...if not, what else should we consider in Grand Cayman?

 

[LoveDisneyx4]

I'm following along, because not that we aren't beach people either but we burn easily (fair complexion). I hope others chime in!

 

[gina4801]

I knew someone else had to have posted something like this!! We're from FL, too and looking for non-beach adventures, as well!!

 

[mumto2]

we are doing the San Gervasio ruins with the chocolate factory tour and beach visit (more for the waterslide and refreshment potential on this last stop). We are torn between House of Good Hope tour and Horse and Buggy Tour, but leaning toward House of Good Hope. As for Grand Cayman, just not sure. One option is to rent a car and putter about for ourselves for a few hours.

 

[SonyaShay]

My family traveled on the Western June 13, 2015. We chose private outside vendors in each port. In Cozumel we did a dune buggy tour with a stop for snorkeling, tequilla tasting, lunch on the other side of the island and a trip to the lighthouse on the western end of the island. It lasted almost 5 hours and was worth the money! In Grand Cayman we rented waverunners to Stingray City, Rum Point beach and Startfish Pointe. Falmouth we used SNL Jamaican tours and went to Blue Hole along with lunch at Scotchies. Lindsay with SNL Jamaican Tours will cater a tour to be exactly what you want and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND him!!!

 

[gina4801]

Great ideas, thanks!

 

[Patsydust]

I wanted to do ruins, but I was told it was kinda cheesy! Still may attempt it at another time! But I did the dolphin swim with turtles! Dolphins were on my bucket list and turtles were just the extra! I had fun with dolphin (500 pound, 13 year old Esperanza, she was gorgeous and so fast!!) but it turns out I ended up liking the turtles more! You can hold them or even get in a small nearly waist high pool with them! Turned out to be a blast all the way around and I was nervous because I did it by myself!

 

[timrousbeastie]

Cozumel: We went to the park in Xcaret on our first Western and everyone thought it was excellent. Even after the ferry and bus rides, there was plenty of time in the park. The included lunch was also surprisingly good. The only slight caveat is the ferry ride which I've read can be quite bumpy on bad days. I am staying away from the port adventures on the sea since I am worried bad weather could ruin the day.

For our next cruise, I am trying to decide between two options. The first is to rent a car through Disney and drive around the island on our own. Based on Google street view, it looks like a pretty nice drive where you might even get a little bit of a feel for the local culture (anyone tried it?). Our second option is to take the ferry to Playa del Carman and just spend time on our own there. We've been to Playa del Carman several times and like a lot. You might want to check it out on street view (Quinta Avenida, for example).

 

[gina4801]

Thx for the suggestions!

 

[bekkio]

We did X-rails to Jade Caverns, which was pretty fun. The Xrails each seat two, and they're hard to drive, but it's fun because you hit every bump. We came back in a layer of dirt, but definitely enjoyed it. You also get a chance to swim in fresh water at the caverns, and cliff jump if you're feeling brave.

In Falmouth, we did the ATV excursion at the Great Hope Estate. Very fun, beautiful place!

 

[shburks]

We did the Green Grotto Caves in Jamaica on our Magic cruise in April. It was so much better than I was expecting it to be! We all really enjoyed it. You finish the caves at the beach (we didn't swim but many did) and lunch. Good experience.

 

[GrumpyBelle]

In Cozumel, we did San Gervasio ruins. We thought this was excellent. Our guide did an excellent job of narrating what we were seeing. He kept our teens engaged as well. I would certainly do this again without another thought.
In Grand Cayman, we did a trip to the turtle farm/ He!!/ and City tour. Again we really enjoyed this. DD loved the turtles. He!! was a short stop--long enough for some pics of the rock formations. Nice option for not going to the beach.
In Jamaica, we did a tour of a Great House--loved this as well. Great views. The guides were again excellent narrating the history of what you saw. No pushy vendors like at Dunn's RIver--which is a bonus.