Valor Beach or Excursion?

[jallen109]

Hello,

 

I will be cruising on the Carnival Valor out of Miami on June 24th. Can anyone tell me which ports I can walk to a beach from and which ports I would be better off booking an excursion? The ports are as follows:

 

Grand Cayman

Honduras (Roaton)

Belize- already booked excursion to Mayan Ruins

Cozumel

 

Any information will be helpful. We really want some beach time!

 

Thanks,

Jaime

[scott_gallant]

I was on the valor to the same ports in April. In Roatan you can walk to the beach by the port. I didn't go there but looked beautiful....although I believe it is manmade. In Grand Cayman there are some sandy areas close by too although I wouldn't really call them a beach. Have a great cruise!!!!!

 

 

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[itchin2cruz]

cheap taxi ride in GC to beach

cheap taxi ride in Coz to beach

Nice beach at the port in Roatan

Belize is the only place I would highly recommend you booking an excursion.

[itchin2cruz]

We did a cheap litte tour in Grand Cayman that took us to hell. (we found this at the port) We chose the option of being dropped off at the public beach on the way back. $5 taxi ride for 2 back to ship

 

Cozumel: Take a taxi to paradise beach if all you want is a nice beach and no all inclusives. ( you can rent chair and use water toys for a small fee) and they have a nice pool. Loved it! For alchohol and food and everything else included I've been to playa mia. (loved it)

 

Roatan: you never have to leave the port. Just walk to the beautiful beach.

[evandbob]

Cayman - grab a $4/5 cab quick ride to any beach the driver recommends, then decide if you want to rent a lounger

Roatan - the beach next to the port is terrible IMO! Take a cab or CCL excursion to a real beach like Tabayana along the West End strip..

Coz - Without kids, book Nachi thru an independent, it's a 15 min cab ride from the pier; if you are with kids, try Senor Panchos, lots of water toys for children. Playa Mia is along the same stretch of beach if you book thru CCL.

 

This itinerary is excellent for beaches, I've done it 5x or so, take advantage of what Nature offers you, rather than the easiest plop on the (manmade) sand.

[jallen109]

Thanks everyone for the info. I can't wait! :)

[tanning12892]

I would definitely suggest the Moby Dick tours in Grand Cayman. It takes you to stingray city, and snorkeling, I think it was like $40 a person maybe, but totally worth it! They make sure it is a very personal experience and very hands on with the stingrays!

[Aysen1]

Hello,

 

I will be cruising on the Carnival Valor out of Miami on June 24th. Can anyone tell me which ports I can walk to a beach from and which ports I would be better off booking an excursion? The ports are as follows:

 

Grand Cayman

Honduras (Roaton)

Belize- already booked excursion to Mayan Ruins

Cozumel

 

Any information will be helpful. We really want some beach time!

 

Thanks,

Jaime

 

Do you mean July 24? (I sure hope you didn't miss the ship :p) If so we'll be on the same trip! Hope to see you there?

[jallen109]

hahaa! Yes, July 24th. :D

[daanmuir]

love this post and all the tips. we are a family of 6 newbies sailing on the valor in November. Thanks!

[Froufie]

Great ports! I agree that in Roatan while there is a beach right there it doesn't compare to the 'real' Roatan so I recommend getting out of the port area.

 

Glad to hear you are doing an excursion in Belize

 

Cozumel has lots of beaches and beach clubs just a short cab ride away - if you want to go 'cheaper' try Paradise Beach but for an all inclusive splurge I too would recommend Nachi Cocum.

 

In Grand Cayman we booked the Rays, Reef and Rumpoint tour thru Nativeways watersports - excellent trip - great visit with the rays and lovely stay at Rumpoint Beach - gorgeous and not at all busy (and lunch was included!).

 

For more info and pics read my valor review below - see link near signature!

[broberts]

In Grand Cayman you can get on a 7 mile beach bus. One way fares depend on how far up the beach you want to go. When I was there two years ago fares were, if I recall correctly, $3, $4 and $5 per person. The buses line up at a stand in front of the Port Authority building, a very short walk from where your tender will let you off, see the sat. pic. here.

[Irishlinny]

In Grand Cayman, you really should do a tour that goes to Stingray City...it's an unforgetable experience to hang out with the rays in their natural habitat. We've used Moby Dick and also Nativeway...slight preference for Moby Dick. They will also drop you off at 7Mile Beach on the way back if you wish, and then you can grab a taxi or bus back.

Coz has a ton of beaches that are a quick taxi ride from the port. Nachi Cocom is a great all-inclusive. $49 includes all your drinks and a full lunch. They only allow 100 people per day, so you would need to reserve ahead of time. Paradise Beach is also nice but can get a little crowded. You may want to check out the Cozumel Bar Hop bus...it meets you at the port and takes you to 4 beach bars on the East side of the island...very cool over there...not very developed and the beaches are very cool (as are the funky bars)....that's a fun trip, but you won't get alot of beach time at any one beach.

In Roatan, splurge and hire a driver for the day to take you around. Victor Bodden runs an excellent tour company (boddentours dot com). The driver will take you anywhere you want to go (ideas on the website). You should definitely go to the West End beaches...they are gorgeous! There are restaurants/bars there as well. You CAN just walk to Mahogany Bay, but this is a man-made cookie-cutter port beach. Roatan is well worth getting out and seeing...it is a beautiful place!

The last time we were on this itinerary on the Legend, we flipped some of our ports so we were together with the Valor throughout the itinerary. Have a great time...it's a fun itinerary!

[LizaMM]

Glad to see you booked a tour in Belize. This is a great place to book a tour!

 

I am not sure if you are looking for walking distance because you want to save $$ so I will respond with options from my opinion.

 

Grand Cayman -

 

You can walk off the ship and there is a beach area where you can snorkel that is a right out of the port area and just down the street. This would be the most inexpensive option because it gives you the ability to eat on the ship if you want where the meals are no extra expense. However, it is not really a beach experience and more for the swim.

 

You can also grab a cab and go to Seven Mile Beach. There are several establishments that offer free lounge chairs if you eat/drink from them. You can find lots of info on the Ports of Call Board.

 

I agree with previous posters.....Rays, Reef and Rum Point Tour with Nativeway is fantastic! I think it is good bang for your buck and includes lunch.

 

Roatan -

 

I found the beach at Mahogany Bay to be just lovely! While I am sure that previous posters are correct about finding nicer beaches further away, personally, if I were on a budget I would not spend the money here. I would spend it in Grand Cayman or Cozumel because I think there is a bigger difference.

 

Cozumel -

 

I totally sgree....Nachi Cocom is fantastic! For $49 per person all your food and drink is included with your lovely lounge chair under a palapa. There is a nice pool and hot tub hoth with swim up bars. All other activities are for a fee.

 

Paradise Beach is also quite nice and you only have to pony up the money for entrance/lounge chair which is very inexpensive. Any other spending is totally upon your control at that point. There are other Beach Clubs that offer this and you can read a lot of info on the Ports Of Call Boards but these two beaches are my personal favorites.

[k2excursion]

Grand Cayman--7 Mile Beach, cheap taxi or bus ride. Beautiful beach, great snorkeling right off the beach.

 

Cozumel--tons of options, take a cab. Great options are Paradise Beach (with water toys to climb on, this is the best option if you're on a budget, free admission, $2 beach chairs, $12 for water toy access), Nachi Cocum (designed for couples and people wanting peace and quiet, around $50pp all inclusive), & Chankanaab Park (good snorkeling, sea lion shows, around $20pp entrance fee).

 

Roatan--yes, there is a beach right at the port, but it's manmade and nothing like the beautiful beaches on the west end. They have the best off-the-beach snorkeling I've ever seen. Any snorkel tour (which we did for an extra $15pp) will have spectacular snorkeling!!! I also recommend a Victor Bodden tour. For 3 of us, it was $90 (plus tip) for the day. And it was just us 3 and the driver, and we decided what to do and what not to do and how much time to spend at each place. Roatan is just too beautiful to miss out on by staying at the crowded manmade beach. If you seriously cannot afford to do anything there, the manmade beach at the port will be adequate. But I encourage you to cut back and save in other areas of the trip to do a tour here, or at least take a taxi to a nicer beach.