Western Caribbean recommendations?

[pittsburghmarc]

Hi Gang,

I'm looking for shore excursion recommendations for our upcoming Western Caribbean cruise in June. Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth.

We are active and the kids are 16, 13 and 10.

Please point me in the right direction if this is a duplicate thread.

Thanks!

 

[limespy]

Came to the boards looking for the same... but with little kids (two sons, 2 and 5). Have you cruised already or not yet?

 

[goofy4prez]

When we did our first Disney cruise in 2019 in Cozumel we did the Caves, Caverns, and Paradise Lagoon. It was the highlight of our cruise. To get there you will take a ferry over to Playa del Carmen, on the mainland. The Cenotes were unbelievable to go into. At the end of the Cenote was a freshwater lagoon that was like a huge natural aquarium. The snorkeling was fantastic. Afterward, they took us to a small private beach with a nice Pavillion with a bar and had a pretty decent lunch of bbq, tortillas, and plenty of other things. Beach was nice and the surrounding area was nice as well.

In Jamaica, we did the Bobsled Jamaica & Dunn's River Falls. When in Jamaica you have to do the falls at least once. The bobsled experience was a lot of fun as well and at the end, there was a Jamaican cookout that was good, but I wouldn't call it great. Well worth the day in Jamaica.

In Grand Cayman, we did the Stingray Sandbar and Snorkel excursion. The sandbar with the stingrays was a fun and unique experience and is not to be missed. The snorkel part of the excursion was decent, but if we had just done the stingrays I'd have been perfectly happy.

Of the three, the cenotes in Cozumel were one of the most incredible things I have experienced anywhere, and in my opinion, are not to be missed. With your kids at their age, they will love it.

*** EDIT***
I just noticed the original post was from March. Oh well. Maybe someone else out there may be interested.

 

[pittsburghmarc]

Came to the boards looking for the same... but with little kids (two sons, 2 and 5). Have you cruised already or not yet?

Yes we cruised in June. Since we hadn't cruised in a few years, we only did excursions on Jamaica and Castaway Cay.

We did the Ultimate Dunns River Falls excursion that induced zip line, walking the falls and lunch. It was the highlight of the kids trip.

 

[limespy]

When we did our first Disney cruise in 2019 in Cozumel we did the Caves, Caverns, and Paradise Lagoon. It was the highlight of our cruise. To get there you will take a ferry over to Playa del Carmen, on the mainland. The Cenotes were unbelievable to go into. At the end of the Cenote was a freshwater lagoon that was like a huge natural aquarium. The snorkeling was fantastic. Afterward, they took us to a small private beach with a nice Pavillion with a bar and had a pretty decent lunch of bbq, tortillas, and plenty of other things. Beach was nice and the surrounding area was nice as well.

In Jamaica, we did the Bobsled Jamaica & Dunn's River Falls. When in Jamaica you have to do the falls at least once. The bobsled experience was a lot of fun as well and at the end, there was a Jamaican cookout that was good, but I wouldn't call it great. Well worth the day in Jamaica.

In Grand Cayman, we did the Stingray Sandbar and Snorkel excursion. The sandbar with the stingrays was a fun and unique experience and is not to be missed. The snorkel part of the excursion was decent, but if we had just done the stingrays I'd have been perfectly happy.

Of the three, the cenotes in Cozumel were one of the most incredible things I have experienced anywhere, and in my opinion, are not to be missed. With your kids at their age, they will love it.

*** EDIT***
I just noticed the original post was from March. Oh well. Maybe someone else out there may be interested.

Thank you! Yes, I was interested. I appreciate your response!!

 

[limespy]

Yes we cruised in June. Since we hadn't cruised in a few years, we only did excursions on Jamaica and Castaway Cay.

We did the Ultimate Dunns River Falls excursion that induced zip line, walking the falls and lunch. It was the highlight of the kids trip.

Ah, fun!! Ours are too little for the zip line but that does sound amazing. I hope your cruise was wonderful!

 

[minniemouse1]

Yes we cruised in June. Since we hadn't cruised in a few years, we only did excursions on Jamaica and Castaway Cay.

We did the Ultimate Dunns River Falls excursion that induced zip line, walking the falls and lunch. It was the highlight of the kids trip.

Was this through Disney or on your own booking? We are traveling with a 21 y/o, 20 y/o and a 14 y/o and this sounds like something they will enjoy.

 

[KashasMom]

Cozumel: we love Chankanaab Beach Cozumel. We've been there twice. It's easy to book on your own. Grab a cab and go - plenty of cabs to get you back to the ship as well. First time we did the Royal Dolphin Swim and loved it. Second time we did a swim with a sea lion. Chankanaab is a great place to spend the day. After your encounter (and included with the entrance fee) is a sea lion show, a pool, great beach with chairs/huts/hammocks, and snorkeling. A casual lunch or a buffet lunch is available. You don't have to do any of the dolphin/sea lion encounters. You can just go to the beach and still use all the amenities mentioned above and see the sea lion show. It's really a great place to spend a full day. We've been twice and still haven't explored it all. https://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=mybusiness

We've also gone to Paradise Beach twice. LOVE their pool. Great beach and food. Not very crowded. Again we just took a taxi there and back.

One of favorite excursions ever was the Sea turtle release. It was an amazing day. At the time we booked through Royal Carib but it looks like you can now book directly. I highly recommend it. (May only be offered certain times of year.)

In Falmouth we did the Heritage Walking tour and then had amazing jerk chicken in town. 　 We've also gone tubing down the Rio Bueno twice which was a blast but I don't think DCL offers Rio Bueno.

Western itinerary is our favorite - best excursions - but it's just as easy to walk around the port or grab a taxi to the beach. Lots of shopping in Cozumel and inside the gated port area in Falmouth. In Falmouth they have a trolley tour that lets you see a bit of the island. It's at the end of (inside) the gated area. You don't have to book - you can just get a ticket that day.

 

[limespy]

Cozumel: we love Chankanaab Beach Cozumel. We've been there twice. It's easy to book on your own. Grab a cab and go - plenty of cabs to get you back to the ship as well. First time we did the Royal Dolphin Swim and loved it. Second time we did a swim with a sea lion. Chankanaab is a great place to spend the day. After your encounter (and included with the entrance fee) is a sea lion show, a pool, great beach with chairs/huts/hammocks, and snorkeling. A casual lunch or a buffet lunch is available. You don't have to do any of the dolphin/sea lion encounters. You can just go to the beach and still use all the amenities mentioned above and see the sea lion show. It's really a great place to spend a full day. We've been twice and still haven't explored it all. https://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=mybusiness

We've also gone to Paradise Beach twice. LOVE their pool. Great beach and food. Not very crowded. Again we just took a taxi there and back.

One of favorite excursions ever was the Sea turtle release. It was an amazing day. At the time we booked through Royal Carib but it looks like you can now book directly. I highly recommend it. (May only be offered certain times of year.)

In Falmouth we did the Heritage Walking tour and then had amazing jerk chicken in town. 　 We've also gone tubing down the Rio Bueno twice which was a blast but I don't think DCL offers Rio Bueno.

Western itinerary is our favorite - best excursions - but it's just as easy to walk around the port or grab a taxi to the beach. Lots of shopping in Cozumel and inside the gated port area in Falmouth. In Falmouth they have a trolley tour that lets you see a bit of the island. It's at the end of (inside) the gated area. You don't have to book - you can just get a ticket that day.

This is great info! Thank you!!

 

[jwei]

We (a group of 3 families) are going in November and have kids age from 3 to 10. Not sure what we all can do in Jamaica as most excursions will go to the falls and we are afraid the kids won't enjoy or be able to finish it. The drive to the falls is also kind of long (1 hour) for the younger ones. Maybe a day pass at the nearby hotel? Any recommendation? Or just stay on the ship?

 

[Kidguile]

When we did our first Disney cruise in 2019 in Cozumel we did the Caves, Caverns, and Paradise Lagoon. It was the highlight of our cruise. To get there you will take a ferry over to Playa del Carmen, on the mainland. The Cenotes were unbelievable to go into. At the end of the Cenote was a freshwater lagoon that was like a huge natural aquarium. The snorkeling was fantastic. Afterward, they took us to a small private beach with a nice Pavillion with a bar and had a pretty decent lunch of bbq, tortillas, and plenty of other things. Beach was nice and the surrounding area was nice as well.

In Jamaica, we did the Bobsled Jamaica & Dunn's River Falls. When in Jamaica you have to do the falls at least once. The bobsled experience was a lot of fun as well and at the end, there was a Jamaican cookout that was good, but I wouldn't call it great. Well worth the day in Jamaica.

In Grand Cayman, we did the Stingray Sandbar and Snorkel excursion. The sandbar with the stingrays was a fun and unique experience and is not to be missed. The snorkel part of the excursion was decent, but if we had just done the stingrays I'd have been perfectly happy.

Of the three, the cenotes in Cozumel were one of the most incredible things I have experienced anywhere, and in my opinion, are not to be missed. With your kids at their age, they will love it.

*** EDIT***
I just noticed the original post was from March. Oh well. Maybe someone else out there may be interested.

Did the bobsled & Dunn's River Falls - I recommend doing it!

 

[Disneygirlxo91]

Does anyone have any suggestions for George Town? 2 adults, our cruise is in December.

 

[anneeb]

When we did our first Disney cruise in 2019 in Cozumel we did the Caves, Caverns, and Paradise Lagoon. It was the highlight of our cruise. To get there you will take a ferry over to Playa del Carmen, on the mainland. The Cenotes were unbelievable to go into. At the end of the Cenote was a freshwater lagoon that was like a huge natural aquarium. The snorkeling was fantastic. Afterward, they took us to a small private beach with a nice Pavillion with a bar and had a pretty decent lunch of bbq, tortillas, and plenty of other things. Beach was nice and the surrounding area was nice as well.

In Jamaica, we did the Bobsled Jamaica & Dunn's River Falls. When in Jamaica you have to do the falls at least once. The bobsled experience was a lot of fun as well and at the end, there was a Jamaican cookout that was good, but I wouldn't call it great. Well worth the day in Jamaica.

In Grand Cayman, we did the Stingray Sandbar and Snorkel excursion. The sandbar with the stingrays was a fun and unique experience and is not to be missed. The snorkel part of the excursion was decent, but if we had just done the stingrays I'd have been perfectly happy.

Of the three, the cenotes in Cozumel were one of the most incredible things I have experienced anywhere, and in my opinion, are not to be missed. With your kids at their age, they will love it.

*** EDIT***
I just noticed the original post was from March. Oh well. Maybe someone else out there may be interested.

I just came here today to ask this exact question, thanks!

As an add on, has anyone done a Dolphin excursion on the Western Caribbean? I see it's an option in all 3 ports. Is one option better than the other? Or just pick the port for Dolphins where we don't have other options we'd rather do?

 

[Mahusky]

The 3 times we have done the Western itinerary we have gone the "non" DCL route in Grand Cayman. We got day passes at the Westin hotel. It isnt inexpensive but is an unreal resort beach day.

 

[jwei]

Anyone has heard about or used Rowen Watersports or Island Splash Watersports in Cayman? Considering a public or private 3-stop tour with one of them and would appreciate any feedbacks. Have checked on Captain Marvin's but most of their public tours leave before our ashore time.

 

[IcedCoffee52]

We did dolphins in Grand Cayman years ago (and I wouldn't do it now, knowing what I now know about dolphins kept in captivity), and my husband got stung by jellyfish quite badly. He's a scuba instructor and has dove all over the world, been stung many times, and those stings were some of the worst.

 

[BrokeMack]

We just did Falmouth zip line and adventure falls last week. The zip lining is great. Be advised adventure falls is just there to fill the time slot until the bus leaves. If you are in the back of the group you won't have much time to do the pool/slide. I'd still recommend it, just bring small bills. There are several opportunities to tip. Driver/tour guide/zip line guys. Plus they want you to rent a locker ($10 bucks, exact change). I ended up paying to store Disney's towels. If you don't care about swimming you can probably get by without a locker. I was able to keep my phone on a lanyard for the entire zip line portion.