NCL Jewel or W. Caribbean -- Favorite Excursion??

[SummerSmiles]

Hello fellow cruise enthusiasts! I am headed on the NCL Jewel in February 2015 and curious about your favorite excursion(s) in any of the following ports: Cozumel, Belize, Honduras

 

What made the excursion so great? Anything you would change? Was there anything not included in the description that should have been? Etc. etc. etc. :)

 

I am considering signing up for the "Mayan Ruins, Beach & Island Overview" in Cozumel as it seems to provide a nice taste of the ruins and also some fun time at the beach. Does anyone have direct experience with that option?

 

I'm not sure what else I'm looking for in other excursions, so looking forward to hearing about your experiences! Appreciate the input - thanks so much!

[getupgo]

Southshore zip line in Roatan. You can book on line for $40. Opt out of the combo ecotour walk. Save your money because you will be tired and ready to go back to the ship. They do have an option to go to a beach afterward I believe.

[browniegirl]

Little French Key in Roatan, google it and you book directly with them. It's quite neat there.... or a beach day.

 

Belize - shark ray alley is a fun excursion and also the zipline and cave tubing is great fun.

 

Cozumel - we went horse back riding the last time and that was fun. Also have done the dolphin swim here and it was great too.

 

Leah

[mitsugirly]

We have been to these ports many times and I have a huge list of them in my signature line with reviews and a lot of them have TONS of pictures that might help you decide something that works for you.

 

I Belize-Shark Ray alley or cavetubing is awesome.

 

In Roatan-Little French Key is amazing.

 

Cozumel-We love Chankanaab for the snorkeling and it's a National Park so a lot of things to do there.

[Freespir8]

Another vote for shark ray alley in Belize. For Roatan we heard the zip line was amazing but we made the mistake of going to the beach excursion. Can't remember the name but there were tons of vendors and I felt like cattle being herded in... not a favorite for sure.

[browniegirl]

We did tabyana beach I think also one time and it was so so. ...zip line was so fun!!!!

[Freespir8]

Browniegirl....Tabyana beach...that was the name of it...don't do it! :)

[herdingdogmom]

I don't remember the ruins on Cozumel being much to see. It is all about the beaches there. We saw ruins in Belize and really enjoyed the Lamanai excursion. It was a long day with no beach time, but the ruins were fantastic. I can't tell from your post if you are going to Roatan or Trujillo in Honduras. You have some good suggestions and a warning for Roatan. For Trujillo, check out some of the recent reviews for ideas.

Edited January 29, 2015 by herdingdogmom

[Kells3738]

Hello fellow cruise enthusiasts! I am headed on the NCL Jewel in February 2015 and curious about your favorite excursion(s) in any of the following ports: Cozumel, Belize, Honduras

 

What made the excursion so great? Anything you would change? Was there anything not included in the description that should have been? Etc. etc. etc. :)

 

I am considering signing up for the "Mayan Ruins, Beach & Island Overview" in Cozumel as it seems to provide a nice taste of the ruins and also some fun time at the beach. Does anyone have direct experience with that option?

 

I'm not sure what else I'm looking for in other excursions, so looking forward to hearing about your experiences! Appreciate the input - thanks so much!

 

We (myself, my wife, and our 19 and 18 year olds) did the full day Mayan ruins in Cozumel. We all enjoyed it tremendously. My son and I did the (already certified) Scuba diving in both Belize and Roatan and had a great time. Nice reef and wall dives, and the dive outfits (both set up through NCL) were great. My wife and daughter did the Mayan ruins in Belize (they love Mayan ruins!) and thought it was even better than Cozumel. They did the animal preserve/beach club in Roatan and had a very nice day. Enjoy!

[trish1c]

We went cave tubing in Belize which was fun & different.

 

We booked independently; we got more caves & a longer trip for 1/2 the price but through the ship they got tons more safety equipment. How well do you swim?

[SummerSmiles]

We have been to these ports many times and I have a huge list of them in my signature line with reviews and a lot of them have TONS of pictures that might help you decide something that works for you.

 

I Belize-Shark Ray alley or cavetubing is awesome.

 

In Roatan-Little French Key is amazing.

 

Cozumel-We love Chankanaab for the snorkeling and it's a National Park so a lot of things to do there.

Wow - very detailed reviews - thank you!! Cave tubing in Belize sounds like a lot of fun!

[SummerSmiles]

We went cave tubing in Belize which was fun & different.

 

We booked independently; we got more caves & a longer trip for 1/2 the price but through the ship they got tons more safety equipment. How well do you swim?

Ha! What kind of safety equipment was your tour lacking in?? I am leaning towards cave tubing now... thanks for the reply!

[blondie1746]

This past month in Cozumel we did the Salsa and Salsa tour. Lots of fun. Last year in Cozumel we went to Mr. Sanchos, an all-inclusive beach day. Took a cab from pier. Mr. Sanchos is $50/person, all you can eat, drink. Also had ocean kayaks and snorkeling gear you can use. Lots of shade areas as well as lots of beach chairs. Makes for a great beach day! Our son and his girlfriend did the Passion Island tour which they also enjoyed. We did Maya Key in Roatan last month. It was Ok. Not the best beach, nice pool area.

[mitsugirly]

Wow - very detailed reviews - thank you!! Cave tubing in Belize sounds like a lot of fun!

 

You're welcome and yes, I get a little "winded" during my reviews. LOL :D

 

Ha! What kind of safety equipment was your tour lacking in?? I am leaning towards cave tubing now... thanks for the reply!

 

 

That's what I'm wondering too. Everyone is required to wear a life vest when in the river (and that would be the rules of the park, not to decide on by the tour company) and you have the helmets (most with lights that I have seen, but I'm guessing the "light" is not a requirement), but other than that, there's not any other "safety" equipment. :confused:

[hawk1972]

Just got back from the Jewel to Cozumel, Belize City, and Trujillo, Honduras (Banana Coast).

This time we took a taxi to Chankanaab in Cozumel for snorkeling. We enjoyed it, even though it was really windy and the water was rough. Once we got in, it was warm and the snorkeling was good. Lots of fish to see. The challenge was climbing up the steps to get out with the big waves crashing in. We spent all our time on the beach or in the water so we didnt take in any of the other activities.

 

Our first time in Cozumel we did the Passion Island beach break with RCL and we really liked it. Would go again.

 

In Belize we did the combo ziplining/cave tubing with cavetubing.bz. for $75 pp. This was our favorite excursion of the 3. Jorge was an excellent guide. They have just finished a really great ziplining course and are adding more. There are 9 towers and 7 runs, some going really fast! There's some climbing, though, so be advised if you have physical limitations. They used redundant safety equipment -- double lines, double pullies, emergency brakes on the fast runs. Would definitely do this again, but want to try snorkeling first. This was our first trip to Belize. Levi and Israel were great guides. Jorge and Israel led the tubing. This was really cool too. I didn't know the caves were so big. We didn't have to carry our tubes, which was nice.

 

I know you're not going to Trujillo, but we did snorkeling with starfish with Victor Bodden. Saw about 5-6 starfish. Not sure if they were "plants" or not. But we had lots of fun with a great group of people (thanks, kapitman!) and enjoyed lunch at El Delfin and shopping at the port.

Edited January 31, 2015 by hawk1972

[SummerSmiles]

Is there a deadline for booking excursions or are you able to book additional while you're on the cruise or possibly day of the port visit?? :confused: Thanks!!

[mitsugirly]

Is there a deadline for booking excursions or are you able to book additional while you're on the cruise or possibly day of the port visit?? :confused: Thanks!!

 

 

Whiles there's not really a "deadline", if it's something that you REALLY want to do, I would suggest booking. Otherwise you risk the chance of being shut out of it if it becomes full. ;)

[jamminlion]

Cozumel - Dolphin Encounter in Chankanaab. Best excursion we have ever done. Go for the Royal Swim. Slightly more money, but worth every penny. And be prepared for the expensive disk of photos - it's worth every penny.