Excursion advice for 1st time to Cozumel and Grand Cayman

[jomac3rd]

Hello this is my 1st post here as well as 1st time cruising :)

We are booked on Carnival Conquest late April, ports are Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I am travel with my 15 yr old and on a budget but willing to splurge on one excursion such as an all inclusive animal encounter/beach day

I'm having a hard time deciding if I should book excursion for Cozumel or Grand Cayman??

So any advice is appreciated :)

[ozarkmama]

This would be better answered on the ports of call forum http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

[cb at sea]

GC is a good beach day..no AI needed.

 

I would do the excursion on Coz.

[jomac3rd]

Thanks

[griffy116]

Just my opinion, but Cozumel would be my choice to do a Dolphin Excursion and then for a really low price, you and your son could then go to the Turtle farm in Grand Cayman or beach day.

[OCruisers]

In Grand Cayman most first timers take an excursion to swim with the stingrays. Your 15 year old would enjoy going out on a sailing catamaran to do that! :)

LuLu

[cal31]

Hello this is my 1st post here as well as 1st time cruising :)

We are booked on Carnival Conquest late April, ports are Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. I am travel with my 15 yr old and on a budget but willing to splurge on one excursion such as an all inclusive animal encounter/beach day

I'm having a hard time deciding if I should book excursion for Cozumel or Grand Cayman??

So any advice is appreciated :)

Grand Cayman is the best island, ever! We did the sting rays twice and it is a remarkable sight to feed them from your hand and hold them. Also, #1 place for luxury shopping and the beaches are so beautiful! If your teen likes water, swimming with the dolphins in Cozumel was a one of a kind experience. Highly recommend either tour although dolphin more expensive and worth every penny.

[cruiseaholic777]

Playa Mia beach would be my choice in Cozumel. We have been to this resort 3 times and we love it. I have 3 sons and they love this place. They have unlimited drinks and food included. It has a water park, as well as ocean toys and a pool. Caymans i would also do the stingrays. Have a great cruise. ;)

[mzloolue]

You might want to check out Chankanaab.

 

You don't need to book through the ship.

And on Cozumel the taxis have set prices and are plentiful.

[jb456]

Did our first cruise end of last year and we stopped at GC/Cozumel.

 

At GC some of our friends did the underwater submarine but we did not have anything planned. After getting off the tenders and stepping foot on GC there were all kinds of people selling different excursions. We took a tour for $20 per person which we felt was worth it. 8 person van, not over packed, the driver brought us all over explaining different things, etc, then brought us to rum factory, hell, and then a few hours on 7 mile beach before bringing us back to the ship in the afternoon. An entire day for $20 was not bad at all.

 

In Cozumel did chankanaab with some new friends. Not through the ship though, we just took a taxi there and paid entrance. You can then pay additional if you want to swim with the dolphins.

[big al]

You might want to check out Chankanaab.

 

You don't need to book through the ship.

And on Cozumel the taxis have set prices and are plentiful.

 

Did our first cruise end of last year and we stopped at GC/Cozumel.

 

At GC some of our friends did the underwater submarine but we did not have anything planned. After getting off the tenders and stepping foot on GC there were all kinds of people selling different excursions. We took a tour for $20 per person which we felt was worth it. 8 person van, not over packed, the driver brought us all over explaining different things, etc, then brought us to rum factory, hell, and then a few hours on 7 mile beach before bringing us back to the ship in the afternoon. An entire day for $20 was not bad at all.

 

In Cozumel did chankanaab with some new friends. Not through the ship though, we just took a taxi there and paid entrance. You can then pay additional if you want to swim with the dolphins.

 

I agree...we have done all in GC & Cozumel..here is the question: would you & your son rather swim with the Dolphins or feed the Sting Rays in GC? I'm not 15, but I can tell you the deal at Chankanaab Park was fantastic! For about $80, you get entrance to the park, buffet lunch & drinks ( beer, too!), a beach to go in, and a one hour experience swimming with the Dolphins, and even some time with manatees..the dolphin swim is something you both will NEVER forget...GC also has some great beaches ( Seven Mile Beach area)..swimming with the Dolphins in Florida costs about $150 PP, so I thought it was a great deal..in GC, there's a nice beach club called "Royal Palm Beach Club", where you pay about $3 to get in, they have beach chairs, food & drinks & very nice beach..also in Cozumel, Nachi Cocum is an all inclusive beach club where you pay $49 PP and get ALL you can eat & drink, plus lounge chairs, pool, hot tub..very nice, OR Paradise Beach Club, where you pay as you go- $3 entrance fee, a bit more for lounge chairs..they have an infinity pool & nice beach, if you prefer the non all-inclusive type..just remember in Cozumel, there are 2 kinds of beach clubs: all inclusives ( known as "AI's" ) and "pay as you go" type, where you get nothing and pay for everything as you go along...IMO, if you like to eat a lot ( like most 15 yr. old boys do, LOL), and drink some ( you), consider the AI...this is a tough choice because both are great ports..try & decide what you think you would enjoy more..any questions, let me know- I'm a cruise agent & have been to Cozumel 10x & GC 6x...

 

Big Al

[simplyerica]

I agree...we have done all in GC & Cozumel..here is the question: would you & your son rather swim with the Dolphins or feed the Sting Rays in GC? I'm not 15, but I can tell you the deal at Chankanaab Park was fantastic! For about $80, you get entrance to the park, buffet lunch & drinks ( beer, too!), a beach to go in, and a one hour experience swimming with the Dolphins, and even some time with manatees..the dolphin swim is something you both will NEVER forget

 

I don't see this deal listed on their site, but that sounds fantastic! Would I need to call about that?

[big al]

I don't see this deal listed on their site, but that sounds fantastic! Would I need to call about that?

 

Here is the info for Chankanaab Park:

 

http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/chankanaab.cfm

 

You can see pics, a video...make sure you print out the coupons..I called & recommend calling so you have a definitive reservation..make sure you tell them you want to SWIM with the dolphins- there is one excursion where you only TOUCH them in the water..not worth it IMO..I spoke with a gal named Linda & she was very nice..this attraction is not usually found on cruise excursions..as you will see in the video, this is NOT to be missed..any questions, give shout...

 

Big Al

[simplyerica]

Here is the info for Chankanaab Park:

 

http://www.cozumelparks.com/eng/chankanaab.cfm

 

You can see pics, a video...make sure you print out the coupons..I called & recommend calling so you have a definitive reservation..make sure you tell them you want to SWIM with the dolphins- there is one excursion where you only TOUCH them in the water..not worth it IMO..I spoke with a gal named Linda & she was very nice..this attraction is not usually found on cruise excursions..as you will see in the video, this is NOT to be missed..any questions, give shout...

 

Big Al

 

I was totally looking at the wrong site! Thank you for this! That sounds amazing. I would be totally miffed if all I got to do was touch them!

 

Thanks again! :)

[big al]

I was totally looking at the wrong site! Thank you for this! That sounds amazing. I would be totally miffed if all I got to do was touch them!

 

Thanks again! :)

 

You are welcome..enjoy!

[trish1c]

Swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman is the best splurge. For about $65 pp you will get an amazing trip. This was one of the best excursions I have ever done. I liked it so much we booked the same route for next year.

[sublarry]

Swimming with the stingrays in Grand Cayman is the best splurge. For about $65 pp you will get an amazing trip. This was one of the best excursions I have ever done. I liked it so much we booked the same route for next year.

 

Trish was correct on this one. It was great!

[mishpuche]

Hello, first -time cruiser as well:confused:

 

Those last posts (how do I quote?) seem quite convincing, however I have read several critiques complaining the time spent to the sandbar to swim with the strningrays was way too long in comparison to the time actually spent in water. What do you think?

 

And if we go for this excursion- did you book with the cruiseline? or with locals? how does it work on port?

And in general - shore excursions - can we depend on ourselves (taxis/local companies) in order to save on costs? The RCI pricing is quite high. But I did not look up locals pricing, so I am not yet sure.

Thank you for your responses.

[big al]

Hello, first -time cruiser as well:confused:

 

Those last posts (how do I quote?) seem quite convincing, however I have read several critiques complaining the time spent to the sandbar to swim with the strningrays was way too long in comparison to the time actually spent in water. What do you think?

 

And if we go for this excursion- did you book with the cruiseline? or with locals? how does it work on port?

And in general - shore excursions - can we depend on ourselves (taxis/local companies) in order to save on costs? The RCI pricing is quite high. But I did not look up locals pricing, so I am not yet sure.

Thank you for your responses.

 

Welcome mishpuche to Cruise Critic!! First, you can "quote" by clicking on the word "quote" on the lower right..then you will see the quote you quoted ( like here) and then click enter a few times to start below the quote & write what you want..

 

Second, you can either book with the cruise line OR with the locals...FYI: booking with the cruise line has a positive and negative..positive is you are set to go & the ships will NOT ever leave without you..and it's easy to do, just go to the cruise line website & click "excursions" for your port...the negative is that 99% of the time booking with the cruise line is more $$..to see the locals, you can either go to the "caribbean" thread here on the boards page ( scroll down towards the bottom till you see "ports of call" section), then click "Cayman Islands" or "Cozumel" or wherever you are going..on that thread, you can find ( or post a question yourself for a tour) a lot of tours by the locals ( I.E., "Captain Marvel's in Grand Cayman for Sting Ray City is popular) and the just dod search for that company..also go to "Tripadvisor.com" and put a search in for Grand Cayman and click "things to do" section and "tours" from area as well...you will find on the top right of each review of a tour company, the info for contact including website, e-mail, tel #, etc...

 

I hope this helps..any more questions or concerns, give a shout..BTW, Stingray City is a wonderful excursion, one of the Top 5 most popular in the Caribbean..and the time to the stop is well worth it IMO..you will get 30-60 minutes in the water most likely..local tours might include other stops like Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, which is also spectacular!!

 

Big Al

[mishpuche]

Thanks so much Big Al...

I'll get on with the searching. :) thank you for all your tips.

[big al]

Thanks so much Big Al...

I'll get on with the searching. :) thank you for all your tips.

 

You are welcome & good luck!!

 

Big Al