Opinions of Western Shore Excursions Needed!

[kamgen]

Could anyone give me information about your experiences with excursions offered on DCL Western Itinerary?

I have a list of what they are, but I was hoping to find out what people liked, did not like, etc..

Also, other things to do in ports.

Thanks!
Kamy

 

[rgionet]

bump!!

 

[kamgen]

bump again!

 

[Psiklops]

Well, here's a list of what we did and our impressions (all were Disney-coordinated excursions):

Key West: Western Union Sunset Sail - had a great time. It allowed most of the day for siteseeing and the sunset was awesome from the schooner. Don't do this one if you get seasick easily, though.

Grand Cayman: Island Tour and Snorkeling with the Stingrays - the BEST excursion we had - we made 3 stops (Turtle Farm, Hell, Stingray City) and had a great time at each!

Cozumel: Tulum Ruins - extremely interesting if you've never seen any of the ruins. It was VERY hot, but there are many places to purchase bottled water and the coastal views were magnificent!

Castaway Cay: Getaway package - the cycling was fun, but DW thought the bicycle seat could use some extra padding. The snorkeling was great once we found the better places to go (to the right if you're on the beach at Serenity Bay) and the floats were very relaxing.

You can read all about our excursions in detail on our trip site at:

http://psiklops.brinkster.net

Hope this helps!

- Jim

 

[kamgen]

Thanks psiklops! We are looking at doing the Schooner sail during the day in KW. And we are looking at doing the Stingray City and Cayman Tour as well.
Glad to hear you liked them!



Any others would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Kamy

 

[kamgen]

bump

 

[rgionet]

Thanks psiklops for the great info! I am interested in doing the Stingray city tour so I'm glad to hear you loved it.

 

[atigeg]

I cover our shore excursions in my trip report, but since that's still in progress (delayed by house painting that is taking longer than we thought), here is the Cliff Notes version:
-Island Tour and Snorkeling with Stingrays (Grand Cayman): EXCELLENT!! Our driver for the island tour was very interesting, with a great sense of humor. We went to Hell (which it really does look like!), and of course hubby had to get a t-shirt while I mailed a postcard to my brother. Then it was onward to the turtle farm, where you can hold a squirmy little creature for a photo and then buy the most delicious rum cake I've ever tasted (the beef pockets are good too).
After all that, you head to the pier to take a boat to the stingray sandbar. They're not captive in any way...they come there willingly to bum food off the tourists. There were a lot of boats, but the crowd wasn't bothersome. The water is only waste deep...you are given a snorkel mask and wade in. You can feed the stingrays, pick them up for photos, etc. They will bump into you, begging for food, but they are very tame and gentle. We loved it!
-Jeep Safari Tour (Cozumel): ALSO EXCELLENT! After a stop at the "Pee Pee Station" (yes, that's really what it's called...be sure to get a photo of the sign), you head to the beach for some serious off-roading. You head out to a ruin, where the guides give you some history. Then it's onward to the beach for a dip in the wonderfully inviting waters. There are shaded cabanas and blankets provided, as well as a delicious taco lunch. I loved this...my hubby's only dissapointment was that all of the vehicles were manual transmission jeeps, which neither of us know how to drive. It's advertised that way, but he saw that post that on 5/11, automatic Metros were used...he had his fingers crossed that would still be true). We loved this trip!
We also did the semi-sub in Grand Cayman...you will see LOTS of fish, particularly compared to the semi-sub in Key West. Hubby did the snorkeling/sailing excursion in Key West, but rated it only slightly better than Castaway Cay. I did the Conch Train on my own...very enjoyable.
One word of caution...do NOT go by the stated excursion times, as almost every one ran late (one by almost two hours!!). We were worried, as we had spa appointments booked, but thankfull we didn't miss any. It was VERY close, tho'!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[kamgen]

Thanks Barb! I cannot wait to read your trip report!


Kamy

 

[SQUIGGLE]

We don't dive so we did the Land & Sea Tour on Grand Cayman. It was very nice. You go on a glass botton observation boat to see the Sting Rays. Hell was interesting; but could have used a few more minutes there. Tour of Island was good. thenwe just checked out the stores and bought souveniers on our own.

Cozumel we did the Atlantis Submarine. We had done the Sub in St Thomas; but thought this one was better. Went down deeper and saw more in the way of coral and fish.

Hope this helps.

fran

 

[kamgen]

Thanks everyone! Any other opinions are greatly appreciated.

Kamy

 

[DARWIN91]

We did all our excursions on our own (except for DH took the Island Tour and Stingray City by himself in Cayman)

Key West: Walked into Mallory Square, shopped and took the Trolley Tour. Good narration, 1 1/2 hour tour(w/o getting off), option to get off Trolley at 9 different stops and jump on another, pass good all day. This was a good way to see all of Key West.

Cayman: Me, DD and a bunch of friends took a cab to 7 mile beach across from the Holiday Inn. $4.00 per person taxi ride, chairs, cafe, bar service and bathroom facilities available.

Cozumel: Mr. Sanchos Beach - loved it. Free admission, pool, right on sandy beach (no rocks), live music, bar, restaurant(good food), local shopping, watersports (reasonable), water trampoline ($4.00), plenty of tables, chairs and tiki huts, 15 min from pier -cab ride was $15.00 for 3 adults and 2 kids.

 

[trishy]

b b b b b b b b b bbbbbbbump

 

[strawberryblonde]

Barb, I was beginning to wonder what Mon. you meant and if I was going crasy or not . Sorry that painting is holding you up on finishing your report, sorry for me and everyone else that is looking forward to reading it. Be sure and post when it is up, I want to read it as soon as possible!

 

[Wavegirl]

Here is my two cents, although keep in mind, this is my first Disney Cruise, last time we did Carnival but we too stopped in Coz and Cayman

Coz: did atlantis too, nice but we are divers and being in a sub is not the same as diving, no comparison. I recommend it for the non-divers though

Cayman: We didn't book through the ship, we decided to rent a car and check out the island on our own. We had found a guide on great snorkeling sites that you can get to from shore and though we'd try it. I wanted to dive but with the kids it was easier to snorkel all together. We had pre booked a Jeep at Avis and left George Town as quick as possible because i Think there were 5 cruiseships in and I wanted to get away from the crowds.

The kids loved the jeep and it was fun to drive on the left. We had no problems at all, too much fun. We headed out to Rum Point and it was gorgeous. Snorkeling was amazing, fish fish and more fish. Even saw a baby nurse shark, about 2 ft long, lobsters...no turtle but I guess that would be expecting too much.
Came back a different route, just to explore. Had lunch at a cute italian place, Purtofino and drove through East End a colorful community. Saw the blow holes for a few mintes and decided it was time to hurry back. I recommend a "self drive" tour. Its the only place I felt safe enough to do it . Can't get lost as there is only one main road
If anyone was to get lost, it would have been us