which port of call to skip?

[tommy1984]

Question for you veteran cruisers, Im taking my whole fam (wife, 3 kids age 9,6 and 1, and my Parents on a 7 night cruise on the carnival Magic leaving port Canaveral and visiting Cozumel Mexico, Belize ,Mahogany Bay Roatan and Costa Maya Mexico with 2 at sea days.

 

I realize that the at sea days are going to be crazy on the pool deck and slides and am thinking if i want to give the kids the best chance of getting all they want one the water slides we will need to hit them when the bulk of the ship is off exploring a port.

 

But which one to skip is the question, so to all who have visited those ports, which one did you enjoy the LEAST and would recommend using as the skip day?

 

Thanks for any answers,

Tommy

[Peery5]

If you've never been to those ports, I'd skip Costa Maya. Not much there the last time we were there except Mayan Ruins. Although it might be a history lesson for the kids.

 

 

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[Clarea]

I'd probably skip Costa Maya. Like Roatan too much to skip because of the excellent snorkeling. Also like Cozumel for Nachi Cocom.

[Peery5]

Great beach bar with good food and beach called Bananaramaville in Roatan. Also a small zoo where you can feed the big iguanas some banana leaves. Lots to do in Cozumel from beaches to good food to helmet diving.

 

 

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[spookwife]

Question for you veteran cruisers, Im taking my whole fam (wife, 3 kids age 9,6 and 1, and my Parents on a 7 night cruise on the carnival Magic leaving port Canaveral and visiting Cozumel Mexico, Belize ,Mahogany Bay Roatan and Costa Maya Mexico with 2 at sea days.

 

I realize that the at sea days are going to be crazy on the pool deck and slides and am thinking if i want to give the kids the best chance of getting all they want one the water slides we will need to hit them when the bulk of the ship is off exploring a port.

 

But which one to skip is the question, so to all who have visited those ports, which one did you enjoy the LEAST and would recommend using as the skip day?

 

Thanks for any answers,

Tommy

 

any of the Mexican ports can be skipped without missing much. in fact some of them we deliberately plan on not getting off at all. not even for a stroll/margarita or tacky souvenir shopping.

[bobkat12]

I'd skip Belize, never really felt safe there. Having said that, I think there is a new port there, and if that's the case maybe my opinion will change.

 

 

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[TracieABD]

Unless you plan to cab to Muhualal, I would skip Costa Maya.

[skrufy]

Before you reach your1st port you will have a sea day. You will be able to judge for yourself how crowded the ship is and how it will affect your kids fun. The ship gets crowded in the immediate area of the lido deck pool. Belize is our least liked port on your itinerary. Never felt threatened but have been told by locals not to roam the city and countryside alone.

[davekathy]

OP...I wouldn't skip any of the scheduled ports if I haven't been to any of them. Check out the Ports Of Call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587 here on CC and do a little research to see what each port may offer that you and your family might like to see or do.

Edited January 1, 2017 by davekathy

[Flatbush Flyer]

Question for you veteran cruisers, Im taking my whole fam (wife, 3 kids age 9,6 and 1, and my Parents on a 7 night cruise on the carnival Magic leaving port Canaveral and visiting Cozumel Mexico, Belize ,Mahogany Bay Roatan and Costa Maya Mexico with 2 at sea days.

 

 

 

I realize that the at sea days are going to be crazy on the pool deck and slides and am thinking if i want to give the kids the best chance of getting all they want one the water slides we will need to hit them when the bulk of the ship is off exploring a port.

 

 

 

But which one to skip is the question, so to all who have visited those ports, which one did you enjoy the LEAST and would recommend using as the skip day?

 

 

 

Thanks for any answers,

 

Tommy

 

 

This is like asking in which aisle of Walmart should one shop. Seriously, opt for visiting those ports where, at least, your 9 yo will have an opportunity to learn something about the history and culture of our neighbor to the south.

 

 

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[Nic6318]

Hi

 

I wouldn't "skip" any of these ports out of hand either.

 

The people who say they wouldn't bother going someplace say this because they have been there (often many times) and it wasn't to their liking, which might be very different than your tastes.

 

As was suggested plan out your stops, check out the "port of call" threads on this site, as well as using the internet to find out what you can see and do at each stop. For many families the decision is what can we do that everybody will enjoy, very often what the budget can afford has to be considered

 

You may well find that one of the stops offer nothing of interest to your family, but at least you would understand why you have made the decision. More often you will find that at one of the stops you will have a short day off the ship and you will be back before most of the crowd. Then you can have your lunch on board and enjoy a not so crowded ship.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

[OCruisers]

Question for you veteran cruisers, Im taking my whole fam (wife, 3 kids age 9,6 and 1, and my Parents on a 7 night cruise on the carnival Magic leaving port Canaveral and visiting Cozumel Mexico, Belize ,Mahogany Bay Roatan and Costa Maya Mexico with 2 at sea days.

 

I realize that the at sea days are going to be crazy on the pool deck and slides and am thinking if i want to give the kids the best chance of getting all they want one the water slides we will need to hit them when the bulk of the ship is off exploring a port.

 

But which one to skip is the question, so to all who have visited those ports, which one did you enjoy the LEAST and would recommend using as the skip day?

 

Thanks for any answers,

Tommy

 

We've always enjoyed ALL of the port stops on your itinerary!

Because of variety of ages, you might want skip Belize. You'll have to tender and then take some sort of excursion since there is nothing they would enjoy within the terminal area.

With a baby and two other children plus parents it would be much easier for you to stay on the ship there. :)

Edited January 1, 2017 by OCruisers

[6rugrats]

This is like asking in which aisle of Walmart should one shop.

 

Too funny!

[zqvol]

IF I had to skip one of these ports, since you are on Carnival and thus have to tender at Belize that is the one I would skip. If I were doing anything at Belize it would be some type of snorkel excursion, and I can do that at all of the other ports. A lot of people like cave tubing here, but it is not something that we enjoy.

[tip]

OP...I wouldn't skip any of the scheduled ports if I haven't been to any of them. Check out the Ports Of Call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587 here on CC and do a little research to see what each port may offer that you and your family might like to see or do.

 

Excellent advice.

 

And for what it is worth, I would skip Walmart!;)

[34TigerLily]

I would not skip Costa Maya. Go to Maya Chan all inclusive. You have to reserve far in advance because they are limited to about 50 people a day. They pick you up by cab near the port and take you to the resort. All food, drinks, water toys, beach chairs and beach beds are included. Check out their website.

[screwsmcernst]

When you decide to stay on the ship, you are hoping that most people will disembark. That being said, here is something else you might want to consider. You may want to pick a more popular port, with more excursions for people to take, to skip.

 

While I agree, Costa Maya is the obvious choice, and Belize is a pain with the tendering (but the snorkeling is amazing). You may want to think about skipping Roatan or Cozumel. Most everyone will get off to do something, and the ship will be almost empty.

We found that to be true on our last cruise when it started pouring rain just as we were getting off to go into the port shops at Cozumel. So, we stayed on the ship, and had the hot tubs and pools all to ourselves.

[sanger727]

I haven't been to Costa Maya, but I never pass up a chance to see ruins so I wouldn't skip that. In Belize we went cave tubing and that was the highlight of our cruise. Personally, would skip Roatan, that was def our least favorite port. In Cozumel there's a decent selection of beaches, all inclusives, and snorkeling excursions.