looking for advice on Western Caribbean excursions

KMCPharmD

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Hello!
I am looking for advice on Western Caribbean excursions. DH, DD (8), and I will be going in October. I have heard that snorkeling in Grand Caymen is great.
-Are there any snorkeling excursions that you would recommend or not recommend? Is the snorkeling there any better than Castaway Cay? I have heard there is a turtle excursion at Grand Caymen, but couldn't find anything on DCL's website about that.... am I missing something, or is this at a different port?
-We are thinking about going to either a beach or a hotel and just have a relaxing day at one of the 3 ports (caymen, jamaica, cozumel) in addition to the beach day at Castaway Cay. Is there a certain beach/hotel you would recommend doing this at?
-Any other "Must Do" excursions? We are not super adventerous so don't need ziplining or bobsleds. We have also done dolphin encounters on a previous vacation, so don't need to do that again.
Thank you so much for any insight you can offer! We are super excited!
 
You can do the turtle excursion in GC on your own. I believe it is called Botswains. We booked online and saved 20% and did the all day package. You can snorkel with turtles in a tank and then enjoy the fresh water pools/slides and the touch tanks. There is food available. We just took a taxi from port and back - very easy.

In Cozumel we enjoyed Paradise beach. Its a $3 admit fee if you don't do the inflatables. For a kid your age, I wouldn't recommend paying the extra. My daughter is a good swimmer and at 10 had trouble getting on them. We just enjoyed the pool all day with waiter service for food and drink. Easy taxi ride from port and back (less than $20 with tip).

Haven't been to Jamaica on a cruise so cannot help there. Have a great trip.
 
You can do the turtle excursion in GC on your own. I believe it is called Botswains. We booked online and saved 20% and did the all day package. You can snorkel with turtles in a tank and then enjoy the fresh water pools/slides and the touch tanks. There is food available. We just took a taxi from port and back - very easy.

In Cozumel we enjoyed Paradise beach. Its a $3 admit fee if you don't do the inflatables. For a kid your age, I wouldn't recommend paying the extra. My daughter is a good swimmer and at 10 had trouble getting on them. We just enjoyed the pool all day with waiter service for food and drink. Easy taxi ride from port and back (less than $20 with tip).

Haven't been to Jamaica on a cruise so cannot help there. Have a great trip.

Thank you for your help! It is much appreciated!
 
Disney stopped offering the turtle excursion at GC about a year ago, not sure why. My SIL and BIL go to GC every year for vacation and have been to it with their kids, they really liked it.
 


In Cozumel, you might take a look at Chankanaab park, they have a variety of activities including off beach snorkeling. I don't think Disney doesn't excursion there, but it's an easy cab ride. We have also done the fury catamaran in Cozumel which include some snorkeling time and some beach time. The snorkeling was just OK, because you're in an area of Cozumel but doesn't have an active life reef.

In Grand Cayman I would recommend Acquarius tours. They offer a variety of different tours that include snorkeling, and the snorkeling in Grand Cayman tends to be pretty good, they have more life reef there.

Although you can snorkel in Jamaica, the areas that are accessible in a day trip from the ship don't offer very good snorkeling. Since you say you want one day to just be a calm day one of the things that you might think about in Falmouth is just going to Margaritaville. The Margaritaville restaurant resort area is with in the port and has a great outside lounge area with a swimming pool. Plus the food and drinks there pretty good.
 
We enjoy Royal Palms at Grand Cayman and Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Both can easily be done on your own by taking a taxi from the port area.
 
We love Nachi Cocom in Cozumel. It's an all-inclusive private beach. They only take a limited number of people and it never feels crowded. It's only about 25 minute cab ride from the port. We have been 3 times and will definitely go again when we are back in Cozumel.
 


We love Nachi Cocom in Cozumel. It's an all-inclusive private beach. They only take a limited number of people and it never feels crowded. It's only about 25 minute cab ride from the port. We have been 3 times and will definitely go again when we are back in Cozumel.


How do you book Nacho Cocom? Resort for a Day? Directly through them? That sounds like fun!
Thank you!
 
We have always found it is less expensive to book excursions on our own. Often, it’s with the same provider Disney uses, sometimes even the same excursion!
 

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