7 night western caribbean excursion ideas

[efam]

We did this excursion in Cozumel on our first cruise so just a warning about it....the place they took us to snorkel was extremely difficult to swim in and my boys would not get off the boat because they were not strong enough swimmers to snorkel. My daughter and husband spent some time out there but it was very difficult for them also. The beach park was cool but also too difficult for my kids so they just hung out at the beach. I think Cozumel for our next cruise will only be walking around at the port and then getting back on the ship. I hope you enjoy your excursions.

Thanks for the heads up!! Hmm...I'll look into this excursion some more then. My almost 9 year old is an incredible swimmer (went to our city's swim championships) and she's currently doing a day camp with Ropes Course training. She might be ok, but my 5 year old might not be. I wonder if there was choppy water that day your family went.
I'm looking forward to riding the catamaran the most...was that fun?

 

[SteveMP]

In Cozumel - Walk down to the MEGA store, the beer is super cheap. 3 six-packs and a bag of chips: $12. There where 3 of us, so we each took a six-pack back on the ship!

How did you get the 6 packs back on the ship? Or do you mean they held them for you til debarkation?

 

[Mitura]

We did:

Cozumel
---Chanakaab: Great snorkeling, nice little Sea Lion show, little pool. about $20 admission, $10 rent, snorkel gear. We definitely had fun.
---Playa Mia: Liked this even better, big inflatable Slides, bouncing bubbles in the ocean, huge pool, slide and hot tub. All inclusive about $30 for pool, beach, I think food/drinks is extra.

Grand Cayman
---We did Captain Marvins, just the island tour/turtle farm. Highly recommend! We don't do the sting ray tour since we are so exhausted from Cozumel the day before.
---This time around we are going to do Crystal Caves and Nature Park thru Cayman Island Nature Tour.

What ever you do you'll have fun!

 

[DayOhDisMom]

Just returned. DH and DD loved the horseback ride. DR has hoursebacked before and wants to do it again if we go western again. DH first time riding they both said best excursion of the cruise.

 

[efam]

This is a great idea! I hadn't even thought of it. How do the day passes work? Is it facilities only? Or is there an option to get a room as well? (And can I use Marriott points to pay for it?)

A relaxing day on the beach in Grand Cayman, complete with hotel facilities, sounds perfect.

My husband called the Marriott in Grand Cayman and they told him that they do allow day passes but only if they are not at 100% capacity. They said to call back the week before our cruise and ask. I hope that helps!! *We'll stick to this plan because I'm not willing to pay for another excursion.*

 

[annacali]

We are considering the Fury Catamaran with our kids but now am not sure if the water is rough. Curious as to what time of year you went and also what were the ages of your kids?

We did this in June 2015. My girls were 10, 12. Had never snorkeled before. Loved the boat/crew, thought they were safety conscious. The snorkel area wasn't rough but it was off the boat in deep water. My girls could not figure out snorkeling while swimming so we only lasted about 2 min. Ruined them for trying at Castaway where they could stand up and do it--they were too scared after this. The beach--they loved it but I was a nervous wreck. There were multiple inflatables and I had to watch like a hawk bc I was afraid they would get trapped underneath one. I am a pediatrician and it freaked me out! I only let them do a couple with strict instructions to jump away from the inflatable. The boat ride was fun but probably would not do it again. Oh...and when we docked the catamaran just runs up on the beach so we exited into chest high water--kids had to swim to shore and it was impossible to keep my bag of towels etc dry even trying to hold it over my head.

 

[efam]

This is a great idea! I hadn't even thought of it. How do the day passes work? Is it facilities only? Or is there an option to get a room as well? (And can I use Marriott points to pay for it?)

A relaxing day on the beach in Grand Cayman, complete with hotel facilities, sounds perfect.

We just called today to confirm availability and they told us they recently stopped allowing day passes. Back to square 1 with this stop!!

 

[abuck75]

How did you get the 6 packs back on the ship? Or do you mean they held them for you til debarkation?

I thought each adult could bring 2 bottles of wine, or one 6 pack of beer aboard in each port.

 

[abuck75]

That is too bad about day passes. I was looking at potentially renting a room while there, but hard to find one for under $400'ish at any of the nice resorts.

 

[Angie_T]

We are considering the Fury Catamaran with our kids but now am not sure if the water is rough. Curious as to what time of year you went and also what were the ages of your kids?

OMG, I'm so sorry!! I never got any notifications about these and just saw them. We went on a November cruise. Kids were 9, 6, and 5. My husband also had difficulty in the water where they took us snorkeling...of course he had a 9 year old clinging to him so there's that. The other issue we had was the beach where they took us was all rocks and not sandy at all. It was hard on our feet. The boys did like sitting in the waves. The catamaran was cool but if it's a busy one, get there early to get a good seat. It seemed that people didn't want to make room for others.

 

[Angie_T]

Thanks for the heads up!! Hmm...I'll look into this excursion some more then. My almost 9 year old is an incredible swimmer (went to our city's swim championships) and she's currently doing a day camp with Ropes Course training. She might be ok, but my 5 year old might not be. I wonder if there was choppy water that day your family went.
I'm looking forward to riding the catamaran the most...was that fun?

Didn't see this one either. Guess I need to fix my settings...there were adults having difficulty where we went. I didn't even get off the boat to go into the water. In my opinion, the age range is inaccurate and Disney should change it to be for older kids, not ones that were my age. The beach was all rocks, not really sandy. The inflatables were quite difficult but probably would have been OK for teens. The ride was nice but ours was pretty full so I recommend getting on a bit early.

Of course, I've probably already missed your cruise...LOL So sorry.