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Freeport or Cozumel ?

Capecodbeachfront

By Capecodbeachfront,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Capecodbeachfront

Capecodbeachfront

Posted
Posted

Actually"

Freeport & Norwegian Cruise Line private island

vs

Cozumel & a day at sea with Carnival?

 

Which would you do???.

What are some of the virtues of both???

Price tag is about the same...

With Norwegian we would visit Nassau which we have done before.

With Carnival we would visit Key West which we also have done before.

So the third ports are kind of a wash to us.

This would be our second cruise.

We are in our 60's and retired should that make a difference.

Not big drinkers or snorkelers... guess we are kind of dull...

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firefly333

firefly333

Posted
Posted

Freeport is on a brown and ugly island and the town is 7 miles from the port, so unless you pay for a taxi, you wouldnt even see Freeport.

 

Its not exactly a favorite port, but lots stop there because its about 57 miles from Fort Lauderdale, so it saves on fuel.

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halos

halos

Posted
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Tough one.

I really don't like the Bahamas, but I love NCL

I am crazy in love with Cozumel, but not as happy about CCL.

 

I think it depends...For me, I cruise for the cruise...the ship, the sea and everything that goes on ON the ship, so I would pick Freeport on NCL (and I would stay on the ship)

If you cruise more for the itinerary, go with Cozumel (and spend the day at Nachi Cocum :))

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golfadj

golfadj

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On our first cruise we went to Freeport and about 20 minutes into our tour was fast asleep. Boring seeing block after block ofpoverty with nothing to see.

 

Fell in love with cruising despite this and so far after 25 or so cruiess have managed never to go back to Freeport.

 

Cozumel especially Nachi is a clear winner.

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aam3

aam3

Posted
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I would do Freeport. Once you get past the port itself and into the beach area, you can have a very relaxing day there. We also love NCL's private island and would never turn down an opportunity to hit it up!

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Capecodbeachfront

Capecodbeachfront

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Checking the Itinerary a little closer I noticed the ship was in Key West from 7:30 AM to 2 PM. This seems a bit short considering you are expected back on ship earlier than departure. Also I am not sure Key West has a "morning" personalty? But people do sing the praises of Cozumel!

Guess I am still undecided... BTW Cruise would be late Jan or Early February.

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BarJen

BarJen

Posted
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I guess it really comes down to which port and what you like to do while in port. As others have said for Freeport, you will need to take a taxi to Lucaya which has shopping, food, beach all within walking distance from where the taxi drops off and picks up. There is a small shopping area with a bar/snack shack right off the ship, but you don't have much to look at since this is also a cargo ship loading/unloading area.

Cozumel, no matter which dock your ship pulls up to has shops and restaurants within walking distance of either pier. If you are looking for a beach to relax on for the day I recommend Nachi Cocum hands down. It is all inclusive (food and beverage) and they only allow 100 guests in per day which is a very nice way to spend the day away from the crowds and just relax.

They have several lounge chairs right on the beach, most with those cool little tiki umbrellas :)

here is the link to their website if this is something you are interested:

http://www.cozumelnachicocom.net/

 

either way hope you have a great trip!

 

Barry

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*Mach*

*Mach*

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Cozume... no doubt at all. I like Freeport but there's very little fun to do there. Cozumel, on the other hand, is like Disneyland for adults! There are tons of excursions to be had, virtually dozens of places to hang out and have fun.

Yep... Coz...

:)

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elcuchio24

elcuchio24

Posted
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Want to try NCL but circumstancers so far do not lend themselves.

 

Is Great Stirrup better than HMC in your opinion?

 

It's certainly on par with HMC. The beach might not be quite as nice, but I found much more opportunities to walk around and find little secluded areas and stretches of sand to yourself that we really loved.

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TriciaEMTB

TriciaEMTB

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I liked Freeport when i went but I did a dolphin swim :P The water was beautiful. I talked to others who didn't do an excursion and they didn't seem to enjoy the port very much. They said the beach was nothing special and the shopping is the same stuff you'd get in Nassau.

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halos

halos

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You barely mentioned the best part--NCL's island! Great Stirrup is awesome! I would go there again in an instant.

 

The issue with GSC is that NCL manages to tender there on average only 33% of the time. It is often missed due to rough seas...you can't count on it.

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