NCL Star Question-Western Caribbean

[tripletsmommy]

Hi, my family and I are going to be taking a cruise out of New Orleans's to the western Caribbean in November and I have a few questions for those of you who have sailed the same itinerary. I have heard that you can rent a jeep in cozumel mexico, is this correct? IS IT SAFE? I have 4 little girls and am worried about their safety there. I would love to be able to check the area out ourselves with out other tourists and guides taking all of your money. If you have any suggestions or comments to this please let me know, I am looking for any advise. Or if you have sailed this cruise what else is there to do on the stops that you don't have to pay up the yin yang from the cruise itself. (Up charge) Thank you so much

[endymion6942]

Hi, my family and I are going to be taking a cruise out of New Orleans's to the western Caribbean in November and I have a few questions for those of you who have sailed the same itinerary. I have heard that you can rent a jeep in cozumel mexico, is this correct? IS IT SAFE? I have 4 little girls and am worried about their safety there. I would love to be able to check the area out ourselves with out other tourists and guides taking all of your money. If you have any suggestions or comments to this please let me know, I am looking for any advise. Or if you have sailed this cruise what else is there to do on the stops that you don't have to pay up the yin yang from the cruise itself. (Up charge) Thank you so much

 

First of all, how little are your girls. Second , are you talking about renting a vehicle to just drive around or what? I think there are age restrictions (even with private companies). I have been on this itinerary a few times. In Costa Maya, we always go to a private resort. Honduras, we hire a private car and go have a lobster lunch and do a little shopping. Belize, I can't remember. Cozumel , we shop and then go to Margarettaville.

[roger001]

My opinion. I personally will not risk driving in Carribean countries, including Mexico. However, having said that, Cozumel is probably the safest in that basically all you can do is leave town and drive around the backside of the island. And until you leave town, traffic is intense. Problem, in those countries, even a fender bender can require you to report to a police station where there is an assumption of guilt, and a requirement for up front money, before you can leave the country. The ship will sail without you. Worse case, an accident involving injury. You will be spending some time in the country. Sponsored tours for me are a form of insurance. If I was there on an extended stay vacation, maybe. But short ship visit, not enough time to sort out an issue.

 

I might add, Cozumel is a good stop for just walking around and shopping. Merchants are not too agressive and some very nice shops including plenty of the more tourist type places to shop. I have seen persons snokling from a place right at the pier. Looked like fun. Water is pretty blue.

[endymion6942]

My opinion. I personally will not risk driving in Carribean countries, including Mexico. However, having said that, Cozumel is probably the safest in that basically all you can do is leave town and drive around the backside of the island. And until you leave town, traffic is intense. Problem, in those countries, even a fender bender can require you to report to a police station where there is an assumption of guilt, and a requirement for up front money, before you can leave the country. The ship will sail without you. Worse case, an accident involving injury. You will be spending some time in the country. Sponsored tours for me are a form of insurance. If I was there on an extended stay vacation, maybe. But short ship visit, not enough time to sort out an issue.

 

I might add, Cozumel is a good stop for just walking around and shopping. Merchants are not too agressive and some very nice shops including plenty of the more tourist type places to shop. I have seen persons snokling from a place right at the pier. Looked like fun. Water is pretty blue.

 

I agree 100%

[tripletsmommy]

Thank you for the reply. My girls are 5 and 7. Any idea of where I can get more information on renting a car in cozumel? Thank you again!

 

 

 

First of all, how little are your girls. Second , are you talking about renting a vehicle to just drive around or what? I think there are age restrictions (even with private companies). I have been on this itinerary a few times. In Costa Maya, we always go to a private resort. Honduras, we hire a private car and go have a lobster lunch and do a little shopping. Belize, I can't remember. Cozumel , we shop and then go to Margarettaville.

[roger001]

Thank you for the reply. My girls are 5 and 7. Any idea of where I can get more information on renting a car in cozumel? Thank you again!

 

Here's a link with info. Also, taxis are plentiful at the dock. They are available to give private island tours at fair prices. Get a firm price first and establish what the tour will include (usually a trip around the island with a stop or two). Be aware, Carribean resort community prices are not super cheap as imagined by some. Prices for most services are not too far removed from prices for US goods and services.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=6#sec6t

[luddite]

First question I have: what concerns you about the little girl's safety? Traffic is traffic anywhere. Car wrecks happen. Traffic and traffic controls in Cozumel are different than anything in the US. On a first visit, renting a car isn't a good idea. I am sincere in hoping that you are not concerned that the kids are in danger from the locals. Yeesh.

 

Now then, here's some info. A car wreck in Mexico is a criminal offense. It is treated WAY different than a similar accident in the US. Renting a car in Coz can open a big can of worms. Being held hostage because there is a new scratch on that rented car isn't uncommon. They know you've gotta get back to that ship and remember, it's a criminal offense so you'll have police officers involved.

 

A better alternative is to hire a cab driver for the day. There will be a cab stand out on the street once you're off the ship. 60-100 bucks will get you a driver for the day. If you don't speak Spanish, you'll need to get a driver who has english, which isn't real hard to do. A cab ride around the island will expose you to a variety of sights. Lunch outdoors near the square can set you up with a nice ceviche.

 

In Belize, go to some ruins via a ship tour.

In Costa Maya, take a cab to Mahajual and enjoy the beach.

In Roatan, say a prayer that you'll be in Coxen Hole instead of Mahogany Bay :eek:.

[swedish weave]

OP -- You have received good advice regarding hiring a taxi for the day or a set number of hours. Their rates are flexible, and they will take you where you want to go plus being familiar with the different attractions that are available. They may have suggestions that will make a good tour into a great one.

 

We were treated with a stop on the back side of Cozumel that resulted in us helping "escort" newly hatched baby turtles into the ocean. A true highlight of our trip !!!

 

We have used taxis or private tours booked on shore at all the ports on this ininerary and all have proven to be very nice and the prices are good.

[luddite]

OP -- You have received good advice regarding hiring a taxi for the day or a set number of hours. Their rates are flexible, and they will take you where you want to go plus being familiar with the different attractions that are available. They may have suggestions that will make a good tour into a great one.

 

We were treated with a stop on the back side of Cozumel that resulted in us helping "escort" newly hatched baby turtles into the ocean. A true highlight of our trip !!!

 

We have used taxis or private tours booked on shore at all the ports on this ininerary and all have proven to be very nice and the prices are good.

 

You were on the far side when turtles were hatching? Sweet!

Playa Chen ( no more Rio, as they say) is a nice stop over there.

[Toyz711]

all your ports have sections in the port-of-call boards. cozumel is a breeze to enjoy, lots to do...including just walking around. some people will say they rent cars and some say don't do it. in my short taxi ride, the drivers were passing on the wrong side, going way too fast, passing so close i thought they were going to knock the mirror off, etc.

[flashdog_1]

all your ports have sections in the port-of-call boards. cozumel is a breeze to enjoy, lots to do...including just walking around. some people will say they rent cars and some say don't do it. in my short taxi ride, the drivers were passing on the wrong side, going way too fast, passing so close i thought they were going to knock the mirror off, etc.

 

So are you advising this family not to take a cab, or warning them of the cabs on the road in case they rent a car? Couldn't be worse than the taxi we took from LaGuardia into NYC! and I'd never dream of renting a car in NYC. Thanks

[GateGuardian]

I found Cozumel had lots of traffic. I rented ATVs in Costa Maya and they were 10x more fun

[jdvmd]

We did a 4 X 4 Jeep excursion a few years ago in Cozumel but bought the trip through the cruise line. We traveled in a caravan. Cost was $99 a person including the kids. There was a maximum of four in the Jeep.

 

No way I would ever rent a car/Jeep in Cozumel. I know of two separate accidents involving friends from CC who rented and had to pay for the damage to the vehicles on the spot.

[Northern Bear]

When are you going in Nov?

There is a roll call for Nov 4 sailing here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1445656

[graymadeb]

We have rented cars in Cozumel twice, just to drive around the island. No problems whatsoever. Once - we set it up beforehand - and then learned it was just as inexpensive and easy to just get a car when we got there.

[tripletsmommy]

Thank you! I appreciate your post, the others have me worried, but yours makes me feel better. So you had no problem renting a car? can I ask about how much it was for the day and if they had seat belts? Thank you!

 

 

 

We have rented cars in Cozumel twice, just to drive around the island. No problems whatsoever. Once - we set it up beforehand - and then learned it was just as inexpensive and easy to just get a car when we got there.

[graymadeb]

It's been at least three years since we rented the cars in Cozumel, so I'm afraid I'm not much help with remembering how much the costs were. I do believe they had seatbelts, they had to or I would have freaked out. I felt safer in a regular car than I would have in a jeep, and the cars were safer IMO than the jeeps. I loved having the car and being able to drive clear around the island.

[Mom2B&Z]

We did this itinerary in January out of Tampa, our boys were 4 and 6.5 at the time. FWIW here's what we did:

Roatan we did the Private Bodden tour. Seatbelts (3 point) in the vehicle as promised. It was a great choice at $90 for the day, I zip lined with the oldest while the youngest and DH went to see the monkeys. We ended up at a beach, but left early because it was pouring rain and we were freezing cold. Our driver was great with the kids.

Belize we splurged and went to the ruins at Lamanai. Our kids are used to one hour long boat and bus rides, and love ruins and museums so this was a great choice for us. Others would warn you against this tour with young children, but do your homework and know what your kids can handle. This tour was the highlight of our cruise!

Costa Maya we took a taxi to Mahajual, seatbelts took some time to find but eventually were found. Tropicante kept the car and booster seat inside the restaurant while we enjoyed the beach. The year, with taxis, food, drinks etc was less than $60. Definitely don't stay at the port, the little town is so much nicer.

Cozumel we walked along the ocean and shopped. I know there are many different opinions about the safety of Mexico right now, and I am in the camp that isn't comfortable straying too far from the ship in this port. I would not have felt comfortable renting a vehicle here, kids or no kids. The boys liked a low-key day after the three previous busy days.

HTH

[Shelli]

Personally, I don't think it's a good idea. That's mostly because of this article that I read over a year ago: http://www.wadeburleson.org/2011/03/saved-from-hell-in-jail-cell-at-cozumel.html