Post your Western Cruise Excursion Reports here!!!

[My2Qtz0205]

Cruise dates 4/12-19, 2014

Grand Cayman: DD and I did Nautilus Tour Boat & Reef Snorkel. Here is what I wrote in my notes:
"We were ushered below deck to begin our underwater sea life viewing. The tour guide was very informative of the shipwrecks we were viewing. We headed out to a reef not very far off-shore. Our captain, Mark, snuba'd into the water to feed the fish. After that we were instructed on our gear and where to go. The first few moments of having my child in the ocean out of my reach was a heart attack at first, but we both eventually relaxed and enjoyed it." I want to add that there was an extended family on board with a grandma that did not know how to swim. The captain and guide were VERY patient with her.

Costa Maya is no longer a Disney port, so I won't go into details, except to say our experience there was NOT GOOD.

Cozumel: we took the Disney excursion to Playa Mia (Playa Mia Beach Break) My notes:
"Our excursion time was 8:45. We met in the theater and were escorted onto pier, across the road, and into air-conditioned buses for a 15-minute ride to the water park. There were vendors, a pool and splash pad, and a very large beach. We took loungers right on the water's edge near the pier. The kids were content to play in the water for a long time. DH ordered himself a beer, and a piña colada for me. He ordered "mucho rum" in mine, which he thought meant "a little!" I convinced DS to swim out to the inflatable brunch house after a while (they provide life jackets for this). After a while he got bored, some sent him to the pool. DD and I rented snorkeling gear for $15 a piece. We saw some parrot fish and smaller fish. After DD & I snorkel end we packed up and headed to the pool. The kids played in the splash pad until it was time to go, at 1:45pm. For lunch, there was an "international" buffet, high consisted of several Mexican dishes, hot dogs, Mac n cheese, fresh fruit, and chips and salsa." It was all good, and we had no tummy troubles.

Hope this helps someone!

 

[moremouse]

How strenuous was it? We are older with bad knees...........

We're 45 and 50. I'd say that besides the heat and sun it was never anything strenuous. A lot of walking. No hills. You can move at your own pace. Some people stopped to shop. LOL

The only part was one member of the party getting wet. It wasn't me.

 

[moremouse]

We are hoping to do this, is there a meal involved? I was quoted $79 per pp...do they pick you up from the port and cover all transportation? Is there 'anyone' to tip or did you just pay the pp fee? Can only 4 be on a team? We are a family of five, not sure if we'd have to split up? Thanks for any help!

No meal. Snacks and drinks at the finish line. They picked us up at the terminal and covered all costs. I don't think we tipped last time. It was really crazy after we finished. We decided we'd just catch a cab back to the terminal. We were just a team of two. There were teams of 8 and 10. I say no fair! They were splitting up clues and got done really fast. It was really fun though. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

 

[lmhall2000]

No meal. Snacks and drinks at the finish line. They picked us up at the terminal and covered all costs. I don't think we tipped last time. It was really crazy after we finished. We decided we'd just catch a cab back to the terminal. We were just a team of two. There were teams of 8 and 10. I say no fair! They were splitting up clues and got done really fast. It was really fun though. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

Thanks so much! That is helpful! So otherwise, they would have transported you back to the ship? Thanks for the help!

 

[moremouse]

Thanks so much! That is helpful! So otherwise, they would have transported you back to the ship? Thanks for the help!

Yes, most of the other players went directly back to the ship, but we had so much extra time that we just walked around for a bit. I think they gave us a game time range of 2 to 3 hours. Our game took about 2.

If you decide to do it I'd love to hear how it goes.

 

[Ariel484]

Which Stingray Excursion do people like? Lots to choose from!

 

[LoveDisneyx4]

Anyone visit Devon House I-Scream lately? Is it "safe" to visit? Thinking about booking an excursion through Courtney Taylor Tours and asking to go to the Devon House I-Scream and the Blue Hole/Secret Falls Beach in March 2015. Not a whole lot of activity on this thread.

 

[LoveDisneyx4]

Anyone visit Devon House I-Scream lately? Is it "safe" to visit? Thinking about booking an excursion through Courtney Taylor Tours and asking to go to the Devon House I-Scream and the Blue Hole/Secret Falls Beach in March 2015. Not a whole lot of activity on this thread.

 

[SanDiegoSteph]

We're 45 and 50. I'd say that besides the heat and sun it was never anything strenuous. A lot of walking. No hills. You can move at your own pace. Some people stopped to shop. LOL

The only part was one member of the party getting wet. It wasn't me.

We're signed up to do this on March 3rd (Disney Wonder - Itinerary A). Anybody else interested in joining us? We're a "girls trip team" of mom (40s), daughter (19) and auntie (40s). I'm the auntie!

 

[calmom]

Great thread!
Any advice on the SNUBA tour for Grand Cayman??

 

[Jim Libasci]

We are going on our first Western in June and would love more information on the port adventures in Jamaica. We have been on the Eastern several times, but first Western for us. My DD (18 ) really wants to do the ATVs at Good Hope with the Ultimate Thrill Seekers package, but I do not want to zip line or ATV, so I thought I could just do the carriage ride package at Good Hope, while DH and DD do the thrill seekers package. Is this possible? Could we still go together, but do different things? Has anyone done this?

I also want to know how the Carriage Ride is in Falmouth Jamaica. We are going in September 2015 DCL Fantasy.
The other excursions we probably will do are the Cozumel Highlights, Ruins and Discover Mexico Cultural Park. The other excursion is Grand Cayman Island Tour.

 

[Wailea]

I just came back from a Western Caribbean cruise 3/22-3/29.
Cozumel:
We went to Chankanaab Park. We snorkeled, walked their small trail, ate lunch there, rented clear kayaks for one hour that we used to get very close to the dolphins, and relaxed on the beach while DD played in their shallow lagoon.
Grand Cayman:
We went to a wonderful snorkel spot 5mn from the ship and swam with giant tarpons with the Disney Magic in the background.
Falmouth:
We did the Boblsed Jamaica andDunn's River Falls with DCL. Out of our 3 DCL cruises, this was our first DCL sponsored excursion. The mini bus they used was not in good shape and uncomfortable. After meeting in the theater at 7:15am, the bus took about an hour to get to the Falls. During the ride our guide was fairly informative. Once at the Falls, we were assigned a guide a photographer, and we were then rushed through the whole time. It was beautiful but we had no time to pause and enjoy the scenery or relax in one of the natural pools. We were then taken to Mystic Mountain 5mn away, where we took the Sky explorer (think ski lift) up the mountain for a leisurely 10mn ride. It was lovely, but if you are extremely afraid of heights, I would not recommended it. Unlike what the excursion description stated, we were not given any time to enjoy the exhibits, shops, and gardens at the top. We went straight to the Bobsled, which was VERY intense. We all loved it but it goes incredibly fast unless you use the brakes. If you have a need for speed, this is a must do. We had an included buffet lunch there, which offered rice and beans, coleslaw, chicken, fried fish, hot dogs, fries, and some juice (think Coolaid). It wasn't very good. We then were taken back to the ship.
Overall I dont' think we would book that again through Disney.

 

[gizzardgoop]

We are considering doing the DCL port adventure in the Cayman Islands: Island Tour, Turtle Farm and Stingray City. Anyone have reviews? We've done Capt. Marvin's before and LOVED it, however, we are leaving our daughter in the nursery and want to do a DCL excursion just in case they need to contact us.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We are considering doing the DCL port adventure in the Cayman Islands: Island Tour, Turtle Farm and Stingray City. Anyone have reviews? We've done Capt. Marvin's before and LOVED it, however, we are leaving our daughter in the nursery and want to do a DCL excursion just in case they need to contact us.

The DCL Island tour is very good a bit short, but you see a lot. The turtle farm is good. Hell is fun to see.

 

[pirate]

We are thinking about doing the Dolphin Extreme Swim and Turtle Farm, can anyone give me any information about this excursion? Did you go through DCL or book on your own?
Thanks for the information!

 

[scrappinginontario]

We are considering doing the DCL port adventure in the Cayman Islands: Island Tour, Turtle Farm and Stingray City. Anyone have reviews? We've done Capt. Marvin's before and LOVED it, however, we are leaving our daughter in the nursery and want to do a DCL excursion just in case they need to contact us.

I only have experience with Stingray City but we loved it!!! Took the tour through DCL. My one comment is about your wanting to be reached if necessary as your DD will be in the nursery. When you go to Stingray city you travel there by boat (15-20 mins each time) and then we spent probably 45 minutes or so at the location itself. So, there would be a period of at least 90 minutes when you would not be able to get back to the ship if you were needed. I'm not sure if they would even be able to contact you but you probably know more about how that works than I do.

 

[MrsZ]

Bumping....

Also have a question about the ATV and beach break on Cozumel... we are having second thoughts. Anyone have a review on it?

 

[pirate]

I think my family and I have decided to rent a cabana at The Royal Palms Beach Club, in Grand Cayman.
Just wondering if anyone has done this, and has any information they can share about their experience?
Thanks so much!

 

[Nateanite]

This thread has been a great help, thanks!

 

[MissMet]

Has anyone been on the Good Hope Estate excursion & if so...any idea if we can bring strollers? Thanks!