Blize/Mahogany vs Grand Cayman/Montego

[brenton]

Hello all!

 

We are debating a western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston and have narrowed down to two 7 day options. They both have Cozumel, which we've visited before. But one has Belize and Mahogany Bay, while the other has Grand Cayman and Montego Bay. I was curious for those who have been to one or both, if they had a preference or any insight that could help us decide? Thank you very much in advance for your help!

[JaxsMama]

I've been to all. Really depends on what you are looking to do. Mahogany bay is a easy port to get off and walk right to the free beach with chairs etc. Belize and grand Cayman are both tender ports. I would only do Belize if i had an excursion or just stay on ship and enjoy an empty pool. Grand Cayman has a nice beach but you will need to taxi there. I've stayed in MoBay before but never visited on a cruise. I've heard you need a taxi to really go anywhere there from port but can't say for sure.

 

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[cruzeluver]

For me, I would go with the Belize/Mahogany Bay options. My reasons for this are we like adventure and seeing beautiful landscapes when cruising whenever possible. We are also big on local cultures to explore, not as much into laying on a beach or visiting businesses/restaurants we can visit at home. Belize has great options for Mayan ruin tours if that is of interest. Absolutely fantastic! Last visit we did the Lamanai ruins excursion and in 20-some cruises it ranks among our best experiences. In previous trips to Belize we have done cave tubing which is a lot of fun and being in the Belize rain forest is a great experience. For Mahogany Bay there are terrific zipline options, very cool treetop bridge tours (we did that last time, loved it) and the beaches on the other side of the island have some of the best beach snorkeling in the world (the beach at the port is ok for just hanging out but nothing to write home about and can be crowded due to its convenience).

 

Grand Cayman is good for beach lovers and stingray city is a cool experience for something a bit adventurous. But the island itself is flat and not particularly scenic. The port of Georgetown is very "Americanized". While we have not ported at Montego Bay we have docked elsewhere in Jamaica. Dunne River Falls is the biggest tourist attraction and as such can be extremely crowded and have an "amusement park" feel with tons of tourists waiting in line. We much prefer Irie Blue Hole for something adventurous. Much, much less crowded, more beautiful and exciting. While in general Jamaica is a beautiful country, it has an appalling human rights record and some find the locals too "aggressive" (we are not bothered by this but a lot are).

 

I think both are good itinerary options, but we would definitely pick option one.

[grantbob]

We have done both itineraries and prefer Belize/Mahogany Bay. Mostly because of the amazing snorkeling on Roatan. These are merely my opinions based on our experience. I'm sure others will disagree with some of it, but here are my thoughts:

 

Grand Cayman is beautiful and easy/safe to get around. Stuff there is expensive though. But, they have a great beach (7-mile beach) that is free and an easy to get to via public bus. Great port if you like ocean/beach activities.

 

Montego bay we didn't really care for. It's pretty far away from a lot of the most popular excursions, requiring a long bus ride. The areas we went to on our Carnival excursion were beautiful, and we had a good time, but I don't think we would go back. The area is pretty sketchy. We talked to couple on our cruise (and have read several similar reports on these boards) who wanted to explore on their own, and had a local lady with a tour bus/van quote them a price and agenda. I think there were 8-10 or so on the tour. Once they got going she took them to different places than promised and demanded more money than originally stated and became quite aggressive when they objected. We also had some aggressive vendors outside of the park we went to that in a mean and threatening way were insulting to others in our tour group. It really left a bad taste for Montego Bay. We would probably be more inclined to go back if the stop was Ocho Rios.

 

Belize - small port and not much to do in the port area, but there are some great excursion opportunities. Inland you have several ruins to choose from, and a lot of eco-tour stuff (cave tubing, ziplines, atv, horseback riding) are popular. You are also close to one of the best reefs for snorkeling in the world but you need to book a tour to take you to one of the islands off the coast.

 

Roatan - This is one of our favorite ports of all time. Best place to snorkel from the shore I've ever been (in the West Bay Beach). There are plenty of local "driver for the day" services available for $25-35 a person to get a personalized day on the island.

[evandbob]

I've been on maybe 20 various western itineraries, as well as done land vacations in the countries mentioned as well as near most of the ports.

IMO:

Belize is a wonderful country, has great excursions, snorkeling and Mayan ruins, like Xanantunich and Lamanai, forget Altun Ha, ugh.. Immediate area outside of the port isn't the best. Caye Caulker and San Pedro isles are like stepping back in time, lost Caribbean gems. Tender

Grand Cayman - has a wonderful 7 mile beach as well as rum point, and of course sting ray city. Very safe, but has too many American fast food chain restaurants, looks a bit like Florida, local food is expensive. Another tender, but much shorter than Belize. The entire island was under 20' of ocean water back in 2005 or 6 with Hurricane Ivan. Can't tell today.

Montego Bay - wonderful port, great local food, MoBay Dr. Cave's beach is exquisite. Has resorts for a day (secrets) right next to port. Crime rate accelerating, weed is now legal in small quantities, locals can be pushy and aggressive when looking for business. If one is not used to dealing with diverse cultures can be intimidating, but not for this NYer. One Love, mon!

Roatan - has ugly slimy limestone man made beach next to port. Wonderful beach and snorkeling at Tabyana, day trips to Little French Key and Maya Key are relaxing. Great diving.

 

Whatever the OP picks, have a great cruise. Go on the other itinerary next time out!

[jgh1204]

Freedom, November 24, 2018, , GC-mahogany. Wish they made this a regular itinerary. No real desire to visit Jamaica.

[ABQrobin]

If you are a Nature Lover, like outdoor adventures = Belize and Roatan are amazing.

Dozens of great excursions at both places. These two ports are MY favorites of all our cruises. I can't get enough of either country.

 

If you just want a white sand beach = Grand Cayman. The Stingray City is the best excursion there hands down.

Montego Bay we have only been to once and did a zipline there which was awesome.

[mrswagesmoney]

I love Grand Cayman, it stole my heart! We did Stingray City tour off off Shore Excursioneer. MoBay was not the best place. We didn't book any excursions because nothing sounded fun. We rode a bus that would drop you off at different points of interest. We stayed on for $20 each and went to a couple of shopping centers, driving tour & beach time. The beach had food and drinks with a DJ. The dealers peddling drugs outside of the shopping areas was disturbing. I did find it interesting they sold with police not even 25 feet away.