Western Caribbean port adventures

[kaytieedid]

Anyone have recommendations for port adventures on 7 night western caribbean (Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica)? 2 adults, 2 children ages 5&7. Thanks!!

 

[SonyaShay]

Anyone have recommendations for port adventures on 7 night western caribbean (Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica)? 2 adults, 2 children ages 5&7. Thanks!!

Here is what we did in June 2015 with 7 and 8 year old girls.

Cozumel- booked with Island Marketing for a dune buggy tour of the island. Started with a stop at a tequilla factory then headed across the island (to the side with no power and no developments) to lunch with the best view EVER! Lunch was included but drinks were an additional charge. Once we finished there we headed to tour the lighthouse and then back to the ship. A cooler of drinks was provided by the guide and total trip time was 4-6 hours.

Jamaica- Booked with SNL Jamaican Tours for a day at Blue Hole and lunch at Scotchies. The area at Blue Hole that is used by SNL Jamaican Tours is much less crowded and more serene than the area you are taken to with Courtney Taylor Tours. We all ended up at the same place but I enjoyed our first area with no one else around more than the larger falls we ended at.

Grand Cayman- Again booked with Island Marketing for jet skis to Stingray City, Rum Point Beach and Starfish Pointe. AMAZING time! THe stingrays are magical and the starfish were so large and would suction themselves to your hands.

 

[Jenn M]

I have been wondering about this. How do you book through a different company that isn't DCL, is it safe to do, and how can we be sure we are back to port in time? I would love to go to those blue holes in Jamaica but DCL doesn't offer that option. I have some other questions about these ports, but I think I will start a new thread. Thanks for your help!

 

[SonyaShay]

I have been wondering about this. How do you book through a different company that isn't DCL, is it safe to do, and how can we be sure we are back to port in time? I would love to go to those blue holes in Jamaica but DCL doesn't offer that option. I have some other questions about these ports, but I think I will start a new thread. Thanks for your help!

A lot of cruise lines want you to believe that you are only safe with them. Think of it this way- these private tour operators depend on tourism for their income. Being late back to the port and causing their paying customers to miss their ship could easily RUIN them. Everyone is so fast to run to the internet and bash someone that just 1 time missing a ship could cause a tour company to go under.

I will admit that I emailed back and forth with the companies for quite some time before deciding to book and I looked over all reviews I could find for them online (which have to be taken with a grain of salt because some people in this world wouldn't be happy no matter how much you bend over backwards for them).

One thing that made it easy to pick SNL Jamaican Tours is that the owner, Lindsay, worked on the Disney Magic in the late 90's. For some reason this made me trust him a little more than other tour companies in Jamaica.

 

[Dug720]

One thing I would make sure to ask is:

IF something happens that causes me to miss the ship, what will you do to get me there. And is it at your expense?

If they either keep saying "Don't worry. You will not miss the ship!!" and/or will not give me a statement IN WRITING AND AS PART OF MY CONTRACT that "in the unlikely event the passengers are not back to the ship in time to make it, Company X will cover any and all expenses necessary to get them to the ship and provide any necessary food and shelter before we are able to get them back on the ship".

 

[Pens Fan]

I have been wondering about this. How do you book through a different company that isn't DCL, is it safe to do, and how can we be sure we are back to port in time? I would love to go to those blue holes in Jamaica but DCL doesn't offer that option. I have some other questions about these ports, but I think I will start a new thread. Thanks for your help!

I use Trip Advisor, Cruise Critic and these boards to research independent tour companies. We often find that we can take private (as in just for the three of us in our family) tours for about the same amount - sometimes less! - than what DCL wants for the cattle call bus tours. One thing you want to check, though, is the cancellation policy. Most independent companies will refund your deposit if the ship does not dock, but not all. We had a couple of instances in Northern Europe where the companies with the best reviews wanted to be paid in full and would give no refund after a certain time - even if the ship didn't dock. I checked several highly rated competitors and all had the same policy. So for those, I just added the cost of the excursions to our insurance (booked through a 3rd party, NOT DCL) to cover us in case that happened. The cost was minimal in relation to what we paid for the entire trip and gave us peace of mind.

Yes, there is a possibility that you could get into an unusual situation that makes you miss the ship, but it is highly unlikely. Heck that can happen on a DCL tour as well, though then DCL is financially responsible for you. As a PP noted, these private tour companies make their living making sure you A) have a great time and B) make it back to the ship. If they fail at either they will be annihilated on social media. They have back up plans in case of car trouble, accidents, etc.

All that being said, there are still lots and lots of people that simply are not comfortable with booking outside of the DCL bubble. I used to be one of them, but quickly converted . Group tours are just not our thing. There is no right or wrong answer. Do what makes you happy and comfortable. You are on vacation!!

 

[AngelDisney]

I am thinking about scuba diving with a private company and now I am worried if something happens while we are out at sea, how are we going to get back? I should email and ask for more details.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

If you are looking for a beach experience we did the beach break in grand Cayman. Fairly inexpensive.

 

[Jenn M]

Thanks for all of this information! I did start looking into some other options while we are in the ports. I have taken tours before out of the country when we have an extended stay, and it has always been fine. However, I wasn't with my children and i didn't have to get back to the ship. I guess I will start researching these options too. We cruise in March, so I better get planning!

 

[hotfiregal]

The kids and I loved the Jamaican Bobsled and Dunns River Falls excursion. It's been 2 years and they still want to do it again. You get a decent lunch, a great view on a giant ski lift up to the sled, and the falls are pure fun.

 

[Jenn M]

The bobsled and falls looks great to me, so I may still do that with my boys. Is there a lot of lush rain forest around the falls? Do they have monkeys in Jamaica?

 

[Suttonmama1]

In Cozumel we did a non Disney excursion to Nachi Cocom. It's a day resort about a 15 minute cab ride from peir. You just go across peir and there is a sign with cab fare so there's no haggling. The resort has a nice beach, water is calm, there is a pool and food was good. The resort only takes 100'people per day but when we were there in early October there were only about 30 people on the whole beach! What we liked was your covered chairs are close to the water so our 9 year old could play on a float without us jumping up and down every 5 minutes. I also got a great massage on the beach, $40 for 30 minutes. When we were ready to go they called the taxi for us and then came and got us on the beach when it was there. Total cost for three with drinks (including adult beverages) and tons of food sans massage was about $125

 

[Jenn M]

That resort in Cozumel sounds great! Did you book that ahead of time, or did you just go that day?

 

[JW9DVC]

We have done the Dolphinaris at Cozumel and we booked it on our own. We also pre paid for the photo package online for the family at the dolphin encounter. It was much cheaper than going through DCL and was a short walk. Even with a then 5-8 year olds.

We did the stingray city and tour of grand cayman with a trip to hell and turtle farm. We booked that direct with DCL. We felt the price was fair on that compared to booking directly.

We would definitely go back to grand cayman and go to sting ray city again. It was a lot of fun. I really want to do the jet skis to the star fish and stingrays the next time.


Hope this helps.

JW

 

[KashasMom]

We did the Baby Sea Turtle Hatchling Release in Cozumel - http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net/baby-sea-turtle-hatching-cozumel.html. It was one of the best excursions we have ever done. It also included an island tour. Another time we took a taxi to Paradise Beach - great pool, food, and beach!

Have been to Grand Cayman so many times. Wasn't impressed with the turtle farm, Hell, etc. Would have a beach day if we went back.

First time in Falmouth we did the Heritage Walking Tour and had amazing jerk chicken for lunch! The tour was excellent. Second time there we just took the trolley tour from the end of the cruise terminal. It was interesting (not wow!) - saw a lot of different places than we saw on the walking tour.

We're back in Jamaica in Feb. Looking for something to do...or may just stay on the ship.

 

[starvenger]

Grand Cayman I would get a taxi to take you to the public beach - there seems to be a couple of places where they drop all the cruise folk.

Last October in Cozumel we were planning to take a taxi to one of the resorts, but it rained all day so we stayed on board the ship.