One stop to NOT do an excursion??

[kamgen]

What stop would you opt NOT to do an excursion if you couldn't do one at all ports on the Western sailing?? Key West, Grand Cayman or Cozumel??
What would you do instead?
What excursions are NOT TO BE MISSED for two teens and two adults?

Thanks!
Kamy

 

[llachance]

Having just gotten back - and having signed up for the same cruise in 2003 I would not sign up for any excursions in Key West again. The town is small enough to get yourself around without any difficulty.

On Grand Cayman we (15yo DD and myself) went snorkeling and had a wonderful time. My mother went on the city tour and wasn't very impressed.

On Cozumel the 3 of us took the Tropical Jeep Safari and I intend to do that one again. Driving over rocks and sand dunes in a Jeep 4x4 was a blast and we ended up on one of the prettiest beaches I have ever been to for a fantastic lunch.

 

[GOOFY D]

I agree with Key West. In Grand Cayman, we absolutely LOVED Stingray City!

 

[Doctor P]

Kamy,

Having been to Chichen Itza many years ago, I would recommend doing the Tulum Ruins tour in Cozumel to see the Mayan Ruins (if you have not seen such ruins before and have some interest in that sort of thing). With Tulum set on the water, I expect the views to be as breathtaking as I have seen in pictures.

In any case, let us know what you decide and please post a trip report to clue us future WC cruisers in.

 

[CruellaDuVille]

I've been to Tulum and Chichen Itza both. Equally impressive, equally HOT. The ocean at Talum is beautiful as you would expect, but the ruins at Chichen Itza impressed me the most, plus there was an air conditioned museum there.

For Tulum we simply hired a cab and a driver for the day (fee agreed on ahead of time, $125 a day for car and driver). He took us to a place to swim (outstandingly beautiful local river spot where you floated through "caves" on rental floats) and he took us to a restaurant that he thought we'd like for lunch (we loved it and it was more local and very cheap). We shopped, he waited. There were 4 of us, it was a good way to go.

 

[Doctor P]

Yes, hot is definitely my memory of Chichen Itza--maybe the hottest I can remember ever feeling (and this was in December). Had to make sure to buy some bottles of Coke to stay hydrated.

 

[Hygiene99]

kammy , we recommend that u do excursions in key west.
yes it is small but they where a whole lot of fun we did conch train tour and we did the Jet ski tour Blast 95.00 per person or 2 on 1 ski for 110.00 was great it is not disney offered but is right there on the pier .. will bring pictures from May 11, 2002 inugural cruise to wdw and when we do dinner at either
CG, Ohanas or forget the other we could show u ..

see u soon peter and jen

 

[snelsonbrown]

Hey there,
Excursions on your own in Key West is the best - anyone that wants free discounts tickets for any and all water sports - I have them at the shop and you can have them by just sending me a self addressed/postage enveloped and they are yours - I went to Key Cats right at mallory square and they agreed to give Disney cruisers a nice discount - no strings attached on either end - if I can answer any questions regarding Key West, please do not hesitate to call or write me at snelsonbrown@aol.com
Love
Shirley

 

[trishy]

We just got back from the 7/6 Magic and we did the Key West Catamaran/Sail & Snorkel - had a fun time! Did the Stingray City in Grand Cayman - had a Great time! Did the Shipwreck Reef snorkel at G.C. also - had a blast! Did the Tulum ruins at Cozumel - had an outstanding time (but wish they would get rid of the added beach stop - was a waste of time and cut out too much time from the ruins). If I had to exclude a port excursion, I would choose Key West. I would probably just stay on the ship and let the kids enjoy the pool and then walk around Key West during the later part of the afternoon. The excursion was a lot of fun - I'm not bashing it at all - but there were other things you could do that are not nearly as pricey.

 

[GOOFY D]

trishy, we were on the same cruise. What time was your Stingray City tour? Ours was 9:50 am. Just wondering if you were on the same tour as us.

 

[KimDisFan]

We did the early Stingray Excursion and was back on the ship for lunch. Spent the afternoon there. It was really nice, most people were ashore and DD didn't have to wait to use the Mickey Slide. Also did the Jet Ski tour in Key West, that was awesome.

 

[Tay N Evie's Mom]

We were on the May 11, 2002 Western cruise and would recommend skipping an excursion for at least one of the ports. We decided to do an excursion at each, and by the time we got to Cozumel we were excursioned-out and wished we could have just bummed around that day. But since we had already paid we didn't have a choice. Next time we're going to skip one of the ports and just enjoy a relaxing day. As others have said, Key West can be done on your own. Stingray City on Grand Cayman is not to be missed. I guess I would chose to skip Cozumel.

 

[trishy]

Goofy D - We went on the 7:40 excursion. We had Capt. Reid who was absolutely wonderful. I was very impressed with the DCL excursion over the other guides that were there. Some were holding the poor stingrays over people's head and the rays were swinging their tails around wildly. When we talked with the crew afterward, they were saying that's a normal thing that some of the other outfits do - but it's harmful to the poor animals and it's dangerous when they let the rays back in the water because they are aggravated and may hurt some of the swimmers. It was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life.

 

[GeorgeG]

I agree that Key West can be done on your own.

We loved GC, but weren't too crazy about Cozumel.

I piece of advice: If you ever end up in Jamaica (we detoured there because the Costa Maya pier had been damaged), stay aboard and enjoy a less crowded pool.

 

[prymsu]

George, I agree that Jamicia should be skipped if anyone hits that island, and stay on board instead. That is one place I have no desire to ever set foot on again.

 

[JLSE50]

what has happened to Jamaca? My folks were there years ago and raved about it.

Jan

 

[pallamb]

Trishy: We are planning on doing the Shipwreck Reef Snorkling but heard so many great things about the Stringway excursion that I was considering trying to do both. Did you feel rushed going from one to the other? Did you have time for lunch? Also I can't decide between Tulum and Xcarat. Last I heard the bus to Tulum smelled terrible and the lunch was questionable on whether it was safe to eat. Have things improved? We originally wanted to go to Tulum but now we are leanning towards Xcarat. Patty

 

[trishy]

Grand Cayman - we took the first excursion to Stingray City and it got us back before noon - we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (with a wonderful family we met on the excursion) - went across the street to meet up with the excursion group and had about a 20 minute wait. At Hard Rock, we had a long wait because (1) it was crowded and (2) we waited for a large table for the 9 of us. There was plenty of time in between. As for the Tulum excursion, the bus was fine. I didn't smell anything foul. Every seat has it's own a/c blower overhead (like and airplane), the seats recline a bit (like an airplane), the leg room is tiny (like an airplane) . The boat ride was fast and I didn't notice anyone getting motion sickness from either the boat or bus. The lunch was from Subway and lots of people ate it. I chose not to because it contained some veggies and I had heard that you shouldn't eat fruits and veggies on the island (rinsing in the water, etc.). My dd & I just had a large breakfast at topsiders that morning and were fine with just our water bottles and some candy snacks we picked up in Preludes. We were back on the Magic by 5 p.m. Tulum was a great, wonderful, beautiful place to visit - I really loved it - I just wish there would've been more time there instead of just the hour. For those who don't know, the Tulum excursion now includes a beach stop to Playa. If people are late back on the buses, the beach stop is shortened that amount of time.

 

[pallamb]

Trishy - Thanks so much for all your info. Patty