Opinions on Western Caribbean Itineraries

[Gatordad815]

FLL is a much easier flight since the airport is so close as opposed to Orlando which isn’t even in the same county. And there are SO MANY more cruise options from South Florida. So I’d definitely be flying to FLL if I was forced to fly.

 

But for anyone driving from the North, Port Canaveral is a no-brainer. It was so easy, convenient & organized on our trip. I haven’t ruled Fort Lauderdale out, but it’ll take a special deal to get us down there.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Gatordad815]

Awesome! I'll make sure to look out for your reviews.

And yes, I have to fly either way, and I prefer to fly to FLL.

 

 

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FLL is a much easier flight since the airport is so close as opposed to Orlando which isn’t even in the same county. And there are SO MANY more cruise options from South Florida. So I’d definitely be flying to FLL if I was forced to fly.

 

But for anyone driving from the North, Port Canaveral is a no-brainer. It was so easy, convenient & organized on our trip. I haven’t ruled Fort Lauderdale out, but it’ll take a special deal to get us down there.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Lovetocruise2002]

FLL is a much easier flight since the airport is so close as opposed to Orlando which isn’t even in the same county. And there are SO MANY more cruise options from South Florida. So I’d definitely be flying to FLL if I was forced to fly.

 

 

 

But for anyone driving from the North, Port Canaveral is a no-brainer. It was so easy, convenient & organized on our trip. I haven’t ruled Fort Lauderdale out, but it’ll take a special deal to get us down there.

 

 

 

Happy Cruising!

 

 

 

Oh, I'm still all for you doing option 1 lol.

I just meant for myself I want to fly to FLL, that's why I'm on Harmony in March again before she heads to PC.

 

Happy cruising and booking to you too [emoji5]

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

(though my 5 year old daughter did look over at Liberty’s Splashaway Bay when we were docked next to it in Cozumel and have the nerve to tell me Liberty was a better ship,)

 

Any thoughts comparing these two scenarios would be sincerely appreciated! Thank You!

 

Smart daughter you have there ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

Roatan ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cuizer2]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gatordad815]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow I love all of these pictures! Thank you for sharing!!!

[Cuizer2]

GRAND CAYMAN

 

Grand Cayman is one of my favorite ports because I enjoy the stingray excursion and also the excursion to the turtle farm. I've been to Grand Cayman many times. However, I have not been there recently.

 

Of course I have several photographs of my visits to Grand Cayman. Unfortunately they are all hosted on Photobucket which decided to raise its price for third party linking from $36 per year to $400 per year. I refused to pay that much for third party linking, so I switch to SmugMug which is only charging $48 per year.

 

So I guess I'll have to find another cruise going to Grand Cayman so that I can add my Grand Cayman photographs to SmugMug.

 

A couple of things you should know about Grand Cayman.

 

1) Grand Cayman is a tender port, meaning the ship does not dock.

2) Visiting Grand Cayman is like visiting the United States. There are no street vendors. You will not be pulled into any of the stores by the store's owner.

 

FALMOUTH

 

Unfortunately the same problem mentioned above also applies to Falmouth. The good - the port area is pretty neat. The bad - it is in Jamaica. Go outside the port area and you will meet aggressive street vendors and shop owners. They cannot get inside the port area, so that area is safe. I was in Falmouth in 2013. I'll be back later this year. I enjoyed my shore excursion when I was there in 2013.

 

A great place to go is Dunn's River Falls. Dunn's River Falls is very close to Ocho Rios. Unfortunately it is a longer trip from Falmouth. Other excursions I would recommend are those that float down one of the many rivers.

 

LABADEE

 

Labadee is a private beach on Haiti. You will not be hassled by any street vendors. Personally I like Coco Cay better. Nonetheless it is a relaxing beach day. Labadee now has a pier. I haven't been to Labadee since the pier was complete. And as such, all my Labadee photographs are on Photobucket. I will also be going to Labadee later this year. Labadee has a fantastic zip line if you are up for it.

Edited June 14, 2018 by Cuizer2

[Gatordad815]

GRAND CAYMAN

 

Grand Cayman is one of my favorite ports because I enjoy the stingray excursion and also the excursion to the turtle farm. I've been to Grand Cayman many times. However, I have not been there recently.

 

Of course I have several photographs of my visits to Grand Cayman. Unfortunately they are all hosted on Photobucket which decided to raise its price for third party linking from $36 per year to $400 per year. I refused to pay that much for third party linking, so I switch to SmugMug which is only charging $48 per year.

 

So I guess I'll have to find another cruise going to Grand Cayman so that I can add my Grand Cayman photographs to SmugMug.

 

A couple of things you should know about Grand Cayman.

 

1) Grand Cayman is a tender port, meaning the ship does not dock.

2) Visiting Grand Cayman is like visiting the United States. There are no street vendors. You will not be pulled into any of the stores by the store's owner.

 

FALMOUTH

 

Unfortunately the same problem mentioned above also applies to Falmouth. The good - the port area is pretty neat. The bad - it is in Jamaica. Go outside the port area and you will meet aggressive street vendors and shop owners. They cannot get inside the port area, so that area is safe. I was in Falmouth in 2013. I'll be back later this year. I enjoyed my shore excursion when I was there in 2013.

 

A great place to go is Dunn's River Falls. Dunn's River Falls is very close to Ocho Rios. Unfortunately it is a longer trip from Falmouth. Other excursions I would recommend are those that float down one of the many rivers.

 

LABADEE

 

Labadee is a private beach on Haiti. You will not be hassled by any street vendors. Personally I like Coco Cay better. Nonetheless it is a relaxing beach day. Labadee now has a pier. I haven't been to Labadee since the pier was complete. And as such, all my Labadee photographs are on Photobucket. I will also be going to Labadee later this year. Labadee has a fantastic zip line if you are up for it.

 

Thank you fur the insight! We were recently in Falmouth and Labadee so definitely know what to expect there (Labadee was so relaxing and fun-by far the best day of our cruise!)

 

I’ve been reading up on Grand Cayman and I think it could be a great day for us. Not enough to choose it over Costa Maya and Roatan, but it’s nice to know either Option would work in the end for us.

 

Those pics of splash away bay were great by the way!

[accio_7]

OK it’s (virtually) unanimous! I knew Option 1 was probably better for us just by looking at them, but not knowing about the new ports or Freedom class, I was interested to hear the expert opinions in case the Independence option had bonuses I didn’t know about.

 

I keep trying to talk myself into the longer drive to Fort Lauderdale for a different (less expensive) option, but when I factor in travel convenience with the kids and overall ship experience, the savings aren’t great enough to justify the drive. At least not for the options I’ve looked at so far.

 

I’ll keep an eye on both itineraries and if RC makes a crazy offer I can’t refuse on Independence during the next KSF promo, I’d still book it, but I’ve pretty much decided to make the Harmony trip work for all the reasons you all mentioned. We loved the Oasis so much and I know we’ll love Harmony even if it means squeezing all of us in a standard room.

 

Thank you all for the input-much appreciated!

 

I saw your post after the fact, but I just wanted to mention that my December 2019 Harmony cruise is the same itinerary which quite a few posters had recommended to you (option 1). So, I highly approve of this selection LOL and really hope you and your family will be able to book your November 2019 sailing too :)

[Cuizer2]

Thank you fur the insight! We were recently in Falmouth and Labadee so definitely know what to expect there (Labadee was so relaxing and fun-by far the best day of our cruise!)

 

I’ve been reading up on Grand Cayman and I think it could be a great day for us. Not enough to choose it over Costa Maya and Roatan, but it’s nice to know either Option would work in the end for us.

 

Those pics of splash away bay were great by the way!

 

I have more. Just click on the link below (the Splash Away Bay photos are mixed in with the pool photos) ...

 

https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-7FVTCw

 

If you want to see the larger photographs in SmugMug, just click on the photograph to the right of the thumbnails. Click on the left and right arrows to move through the album. Click on the white "X" in the upper right corner to return to the smaller photographs. The two arrows to the left of the white "X" will take you to full screen. The Esc key will bring you back. You can add comments to the photographs if you want (the comment section is just below the photographs).

 

I also have some videos of Splash Away Bay (mostly bucket dumps) ...

 

https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-mjdKWK

[RickinStl]

Is that a Manatee in cozumel?

[Cuizer2]

Is that a Manatee in cozumel?

 

Yes, it is a manatee and there is more than one. Last time I was there, there were four manatees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RickinStl]

Yes, it is a manatee and there is more than one. Last time I was there, there were four manatees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll be booking that excursion.. I’ve wanted to swim with a manatee since I was a kid

[Cuizer2]

I’ll be booking that excursion.. I’ve wanted to swim with a manatee since I was a kid

 

I did this on my own. I booked it online. If you admit you are coming by cruise ship, then you cannot book online. So, I said the name of my hotel was the Liberty of the Seas (really). It worked. The ticket price includes the cost of admission. When I got there I booked the second session. So I got a discount because I had already paid the admission. I went there and back via a taxi. The big cost was the pictures. I paid more for the pictures than I did for the swim sessions (you don't have to buy all the pictures, but I wanted to - from both sessions).

 

My tickets...

 

Taxi prices (from 2016) ...