Jan 2nd 2010 carnival liberty western caribbean ..suggestions on what to do cheap

[DLPM6545]

Hi we are going on the Liberty with Carnival January 2nd 2010.. The time is coming up fast.. We are now sailing with 13 people and one child who is 2 years old .. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do in Ocho Rios Jamaica .. Grand Cayman and Cozumel Mexico we are looking to do stuff pretty cheap and safe.. My husband is layed off as of next week but, we are still going so we dont lose our money.. so here we are looking to do anything cheap as possible and try to have a good time.. any suggestion will be greatly appreciated ....I gave this trip to my kids for Christmas and have been paying on it since last February and of course its paid off and everyone is looking forward to the cruise.. I hope to see people from this board that I have talked to .. Thank you and have a Merry Christmas..:rolleyes::p;):)

[travelntreats]

Because no one really can say what will meet your wants and needs regarding a shore tour i.e. budget, likes/dislikes, type of tour, etc.... my sugestion would be to go to the port of call boards here at CC and go to the specific port boards you will be visiting for a wide array of suggestions and personal experiences and suggestions and even tour operator reccomendations too.

 

Good Luck and have a wonderful cruise !

[firefly333]

You might be surprised how nice it is to just go look around the shops, and get back onboard to eat lunch when the ship isnt so crowded and you can enjoy having the ship quiet. Go buy a $4 tee shirt while you walk around or something inexpensive. You can get on the internet in Cozumel for as little as $2 per hour if you want some internet time.

 

You dont have to do excursions to get a flavor of the ports. Or grab a taxi and get a overview, but thats hard to do with 13 in your party, to find a big enough taxi if everyone wants to go.

 

If money were tight, Id skip the excursions myself and stay on the ship, or just go look around at the port at the shops and stretch my legs.

[trvlqueen]

I'd suggest a run over to Paradise Beach. They give you a wristband for $10 each which gives you full access to all their non motorized water sports (snorkeling, kayaking, giant climbing toys and water trampolines, and even the 'bungy-trampoline' on land). We spent about $80 for the wristbands along with taxi for 6 of us (we paid for the ride there and my sister picked up the ride back ... probably $100 total, it's a 10 minute cab ride). You may also want to budget in some money for food/beverages while you're there. They aren't overly priced, but I didn't think to take a photo of the menu.

 

I don't know what is in your budget, but if you plan on about $20 per person and share appetizers (no booze figured in) you should do pretty well.

 

In Jamaica, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville is right off the dock. They have a pool with waterslide, tons of people-watching entertainment, and a beach with toys. I don't believe they charge to use their facility (it was raining while we were there, so not sure about the beach). We spent about 3 hours there and had a couple drinks ... again, an easy thing to do.

 

I would check the port of call boards for advice if you're looking to tour. We were there on a land based vacation a few years back and I don't think it costs much to do the falls ... but it might not be appropriate for your 2 year old. Basically, if I remember correctly, you'll need to tip your guide and pay for the taxi fare there. If there's an entry fee, it's low.

 

In Grand Cayman, if you can afford to splurge, I'd do the turtle farm and stingray excursion. If not, you can go to the turtle farm on your own. It's well worth it ... I think it's Boatswain's Turtle Farm. You get access to their beach, or you could head over to Seven Mile Beach from there. Don't bother going to "Hell" if you do it on your own. it's a waste of time ... the rocks are kind of cool, but it's a 5 minute thing and not worth the trip. If you're on the excursion, you won't have a choice, but don't expect much from that segment of the excursion.

 

Have fun! Liberty is a fantastic ship .... you'll really enjoy your trip.