Must do in the Western Caribbean?

[live2ski]

We are planning a cruise to the Western Caribbean on the Grand Princess in Dec of 2005. The ports we are stopping at are; Belize City, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman, & Cozumel. My wife & I are traveling with our 3 boys 17, 13, 10. I'm trying to go thru the shore excursion lists but can't decide which ones to do. Does anyone have any "Must Do" in any of these ports? Which ports would you dare to go off on your own & which do you recommend staying with a group tour?

Thanks,

[Jason]

Hey live2ski,

Welcome to CruiseCrazies! I hope to see you stick around - we're a fun bunch of people ready to chat about anything!

Do you enjoy snorkling? I've been to Grand Cayman many times (that's my favorite island!) and I love the Eden Rock snorkling site....It's an easy 10 minute walk from the pier, no taxi necessary.

[live2ski]

Thanks for the Welcome. Also thanks for the snorkling tip. How's the shopping and the beach that are close to Eden Rock? If we can limit some spending at one port we could do a little more at another. We are really new to the travel scene and I'm not sure how adventurous we are, so we're looking for as many tips as we can get.

Thanks,

live2ski

[KeithnRita]

live2ski

The "must" see would be Stingray City in Grand Cayman. Also, Sharkray Alley in Belize. Some might say Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. We think all the ports are safe and you should not have any problems venturing out on your own. Just keep in mind if you are on a ship excursion, the ship won't leave without you. If you are on your own leave plenty time to get back to the ship before it sails. :wink: :wink:

[BrendaB]

Recently returned from 10/23 Sensation cruise to Costa Maya & Cozumel. We didn't book any excursions but did beach, shopping at Costa Maya. Beauitiful pool in the center of town with swim up bars, music, food & drinks.

Cozumel was even better with a trip to Paradise Beach. Exceptionally clean restrooms, beautiful beach with chairs & umbrellaa. Bar, with good food & drinks. Massages on the beach $1 a minute. Fast, friendly wait staff. Water trampoline, floating iceburg for climbing. My new favorite beach in Cozumel. Not crowed at all with 4 ships in port.

Looking forward to same interenary as yours on upcoming Feb. 2005 cruise on Miracle.

[Jason]

The Grand Cayman shopping scene is excellent. There's block after block of shops right across the street from the dock....Plenty of shopping to keep you busy for hours, if not all day. :)

[Shari2]

Welcome aboard, livetoski!

We have been to Cozumel and Grand Cayman, but it was many years ago. We spent most of our time on Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman, and we really enjoyed that. We did some shopping for coral. In Cozumel, we just walked around and did some shopping and some sight seeing. We took a cab to a disco, my DH thinks it was Senior Frog's, but I'm not sure.

Sorry that I can't help you more. If this is your first cruise, I think I would stay with the ship's tours, but most of these ports are pretty safe. You should always be on the watch in any foreign place, though. We had some problems in Jamaica and Panama once.

[live2ski]

The tips so far sound great, thanks for the info. Does anyone have any tips on horseback riding and ruin tours?

[hazelson]

You have to see Chakanaab Park in Cozomel - it is so beautiful. Welcome to crazies - TTFN Jennifer

[cleung]

Both Grand Cayman and Cozumel are ports where you don't need to pay the expensive cruiseship tours. For Grand Cayman, I would suggest the turtle farm, Hell village and Stingray City. You can do these by cabs. If you folks are into scuba diving, you can hook up with many local operators rather than go through the cruiseship.

For Cozumel, it is the same. Scuba diving is the thing here. You can also rent a four by four or some scooters and go around the island within 2 hours by yourselves. I did.