I have been checking out the excursions for our various ports of call. Has anyone done the Dunebuggy or Jeep tour on Cozumel? Also I notice when you book through
DCL the min. age is 10 (our son will be 8), but you can book direct with Island Marketing Ltd. and the min. age is 3 (it may not be the same tour operator).
I know a lot of people do not advise booking tours with anyone except directly through DCL, any advice?
Also does anyone have any recomendations for shore excursions?
Last time, we booked all of our excursions through DCL, but this time we're doing it differently.
For Key West, we're going to do the town on our own, taking the Trolley, and walking around. We're going to go to the Hemmingway House and raise a glass to ole Ernest. I heard from a reliable source (Kaz) that it's filled with cats, descendants of Hemmingway's cats, and there's a distinct odor of cat pee.
For Cayman, we're doing a private boat charter with a few Disers, I think the company is Native Way. They'll take us to snorkling spots, a beach, and I'm not sure what else. They also have a Mexican lunch available. So that won't be through DCL. We'll have two little ones on that excursion, Anjelica's children.
For Coz, I don't know yet, but we may split up, as I found a local lady who does a Mayan cooking experience, where we go to a local market, buy the foods, and then she shows us how to cook it. I like that because it;s not too long, and I really want to get into the local culture a bit, you know, off the beaten path. I may even do this alone while the rest of my crew does something else, and then if there's time, we may book something through DCL for the afternoon to do together. Jesse wants to do the ruins, so we'll see. I plan on having a family meeting this weekend and put everything out on the table and see exactly what they want to do.
For
Castaway Cay, I want to get Mel up on a parasail, as he's never done it before, and it's a fun thing to do once in your life.
Artman, maybe you should start a thread on the main cruise board and ask specifically about those excursions, and see who has done them and what they say about it. I'm going to look into the dune buggy/jeep excursion, too, as I think my guys would enjoy that.
If you book through DCL, the boat won't leave you behind if you're delayed, but not so through private companies. However, I've been reading these boards for years, and I NEVER heard about that happening, where someone didn't make it back in time after an excursion. So I feel safe not using DCL. It usually costs less, too.
