Western - which beach to skip?

[DisneyKarenG]

Help me out people! I am thinking that I would like to skip one port to take advantage of and emptier ship. I am not interested in excursions, just sun and beach, so am thinking of these three spots:

Cozumel: www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/
Grand Cayman: http://www.westingrandcayman.com/
Falmouth: http://royaltonresorts.com/royalton-white-sands

I was kind of thinking that it would make sense to skip Cozumel, because I am much more likely to be back to Mexico than in Grand Cayman or Jamaica.... but I don't want someone to tell me later "are you CRAZY??? Cozumel has the nicest beaches EVER!!"

Itinerary wise though, skipping Grand Cayman could be nice... in that case I might just take the tendering ship there and back for a photo op!!

Any thoughts?

 

[KashasMom]

If your goal is an emptier ship, then I choose Grand Cayman. Many people do not like Jamaica so they stay on the ship. Personally out of all 3 GC is my least favorite even though the beach is nice. We did Paradise Beach and loved the pool and the food there as well.

 

[mandylovesdisney]

I would personally skip Cozumel because I've been to Mexico a ton. I love Jamaica and Grand Cayman is beautiful!

 

[tink1970]

You're going to get all sorts of answers. I'd skip Cozumel AND Falmouth and only go to Grand Cayman. But everyone likes different things and has had negative/positive experiences different places.

 

[MUN]

Help me out people! I am thinking that I would like to skip one port to take advantage of and emptier ship. I am not interested in excursions, just sun and beach, so am thinking of these three spots:

Cozumel: www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/
Grand Cayman: http://www.westingrandcayman.com/
Falmouth: http://royaltonresorts.com/royalton-white-sands

I was kind of thinking that it would make sense to skip Cozumel, because I am much more likely to be back to Mexico than in Grand Cayman or Jamaica.... but I don't want someone to tell me later "are you CRAZY??? Cozumel has the nicest beaches EVER!!"

Itinerary wise though, skipping Grand Cayman could be nice... in that case I might just take the tendering ship there and back for a photo op!!

Any thoughts?

I have never been to Jamaica, so I can't comment on that. However, between Grand Cayman and Cozumel, I would skip Grand Cayman. 7 Mile Beach is beautiful, but tendering is kind of a pain.

MUN

 

[Luvzmy3boys]

We did not do the beaches in Cozumel (xcaret instead), but we thought the beach in Jamaica was beautiful and the snorkeling off the beach (Jewel beach resort) was better than off the beach in grand cayman. We have younger kids so we are limited in our activities. I think it is pretty easy to navigate around grand cayman on your own though and it seems the safest of the three ports. You could just take a tender over and walk around for a bit there and get back on the ship with plenty of time to spare.

 

[5Texans]

If you're looking for an emptier ship I wouldn't skip Cayman b/c you typically get in later and tender, so people won't clear off the ship until almost lunch.

We had a great time in cozumel and a little trouble in Jamaica w/ pushy locals- so I might skip Jamaica, but as previous poster said, I think a lot of people stay on there b/c it's not as safe, so the ship will be less crowded in Cozumel.

That said, I think it usually goes Cozumel, Cayman, Jamaica, CC, so if you took Grand Cayman off it might be a nice break between busy days- Westerns have a lot of port days.

 

[pdizzle27]

If the beach is your main attraction, then I definitely would not skip Caymen. Getting in the water was the most memorable part of my trip. Everything else on that island, while nice, could be worth staying on the ship. I'd say go straight to the beach and spend all of your time there.
Original question: Which one to miss? Cozumel

 

[GOOFY D]

Help me out people! I am thinking that I would like to skip one port to take advantage of and emptier ship. I am not interested in excursions, just sun and beach, so am thinking of these three spots:

Cozumel: www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/
Grand Cayman: http://www.westingrandcayman.com/
Falmouth: http://royaltonresorts.com/royalton-white-sands

I was kind of thinking that it would make sense to skip Cozumel, because I am much more likely to be back to Mexico than in Grand Cayman or Jamaica.... but I don't want someone to tell me later "are you CRAZY??? Cozumel has the nicest beaches EVER!!"

Itinerary wise though, skipping Grand Cayman could be nice... in that case I might just take the tendering ship there and back for a photo op!!

Any thoughts?

Do you have to book a room to visit the beach in Falmouth (that you listed above)?

 

[DisneyKarenG]

Do you have to book a room to visit the beach in Falmouth (that you listed above)?

Check out this great post, it gives all the info:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...und-falmouth-read-this.3520309/#post-55967523

 

[My_Pooh]

Everybody (DH, DS17, DD 8, DD 3 & me) loved paradise beach in Cozumel. For an additional $18 per person you could use the floating obstacle course in the ocean. There's plenty of shade, wonderful drinks (no one got sick because they use filtered water), great food, clean bathrooms and the pool was super nice. We saw a lot of the fantasy CM there also taking in the rays. We felt very safe and we had no issues. At Grand Cayman Island we went to calico jacks beach which was another really great location just paid for the taxi ride no cost to get on the beach but we did get mixed drinks and food (son loved the fish- he wouldn't share with the rest of us!) at the restaurant which was fantastic... cheapest excursion yet! Felt very safe no issues and able to get a taxi right away when we wanted to leave because they're all waiting outside the restaurant.

 

[sandy77d]

I would skip Cozumel. My husband's favorite beach was Grand Cayman and my favorite beach was Jamaica. In Cozumel, we did the Jeep Excursion and the beach we went to was at Punta Sur. It was nice and we enjoyed it - but we had not seen the beaches in Cayman and Jamaica yet. In Cayman, we went to Rum Point. This was a beautiful beach and we loved the excursion. In Jamaica, we went to Jewel Runaway Bay and this was my absolute favorite. The sand was so soft and the water was perfect. Lots of people skip Jamaica, and I considered skipping it, but I absolutely loved it.

 

[cscream13]

As others have said, the ages of your group may impact your decision. I have young kids and would choose to skip Falmouth.

 

[Dug720]

I have not done a Western yet, but just based off reading people's reports and such on here, if you're looking for a less-full ship, Cozumel is probably your best bet as I read a LOT of people complain about Falmouth and not wanting to get off and do anything and some people seem put off by tendering at Grand Cayman.

 

[surran12]

While I think staying on during Cozumel would probably offer the emptiest ship, you will have just been on for a couple of days in a row and it may be nice to get off, and I personally really enjoy the island a lot. We stayed on during Jamaica and while a decent number of others did as well we still easily found chairs at the pool and the wait for the Aqua duck was only 5-10 minutes. However next time we do this itinerary we are going to skip Grand Cayman instead. While the beach was wonderful the tendering was a pain and when we got back in the early afternoon (2ish) the ship seemed emptier than it did the next day during Falmouth. Thats my 2 cents anyhow. Happy Planning!

 

[JP350Z]

Check out this great post, it gives all the info:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...und-falmouth-read-this.3520309/#post-55967523

Glad you liked my write up and video. I'm leaving June 13 to 20th for Jamaica and staying a week at Jewel Runaway Bay (the resort Disney uses for day pass). So I should have a complete write up on those 2 options off the Fantasy soon. Royalton is so close to port and very good I would do it again for sure. Also I still agree skipping Cozumel. If your going to get sick in the Caribbean on vacation 9 out of 10 times your going to get sick in Mexico or Dominican.