What to do in port when not on an excursion

[meldavey]

Hi all!   First off, love this site, great information!   I've read through several posts and have learned a great deal already.

 

So, we are 88 days away (or so) from our Getaway western Caribbean cruise.   Last night we went through all the excursions for all ports of call.   We are a family of 4, so I'm not looking to spend $400+ every day!   My question is what is there to do when we get dropped off at a port and don't take an excursion?  Norwegian site was not helpful.

 

I've been to Cozumel, so I know there's the town we can easily walk to, and beach not far also, and probably taxi to take us wherever.   We might do an excursion there anyway.

Roatan and Belize?  No idea.  Are we just dropped off at dock where we can walk to the beach?   Walk to town?   Pay for chairs on the beach (which I'm fine with).  I think I read that people head back to the ship for the free lunch, no idea what I'll do but probably support the locals and eat on the island, probably do some shopping too.

Costa Maya, I think we will do a ruins excursion.

 

Thanks for any tips or links!

 

- Mel

 

[PTC DAWG]

Chill out on a somewhat empty ship...

[JamieLogical]

Most ports I have been to have shops within walking distance and many have beaches within walking distance. ALL of them have shuttles and cabs lined up to take you places further from the dock. Many have tour buses/shuttles not affiliated with the cruise line that might take you on some cheaper/different tours.

 

Personally, I have only been on three cruises so far. I have only done a total of two shore excursions. One to the turtle sanctuary in Grand Cayman (got to hold a sea turtle!) and a bus tour of Acadia National Park in Maine. Usually we just walk off the boat and explore on foot. In Bermuda, we bought public transportation day passes ($19 pp) and took the buses and ferries all around the island.

[tallnthensome]

Have you explored the port forums or asked these questions there? 

[zqvol]

OP:

 

At Harvest Caye, which is an NCL private island with not a lot to do, just go to the beach or the pool. You can also wander around the island.

 

At Costa Maya take the tram into town, and go to one of the ebach clubs. Many provide free loungers, and umbrellas as long as you buy some food or drinks. I like Tropicante. On the way back to the ship wander through the cruise line owned "village" and window shop. Transportation is about $5 pp round trip.

 

Roatan is a bit different as there is not much at the port. The Roatan board in the ports section has a lot of options. Victor Boden comes to mind as someone who does tours much less expensively than NCL.

 

I can't offer many suggestion on Cozumel. You can always grab a cab to a beach and other than cab fare not spend much. The Cozumel board offers lots of options. Walking in town is another option.

[ColeThornton]

Welcome to the forum.  The place you want to ask this is on the port of call forums for the Caribbean.  There are sub-forums for every port with lots of great information.   Here is the link for you.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/456-caribbean/

[havanadaydreaming]

i think zq nailed it. 

 

we're headed on cruise this weekend and plan on hitting the pool at Harvest Caye - inexpensive + sun + water = good times.  I don't do the pools on the ship so I love getting to some at port.  

 

Costa - heard lots of positive buzz on Tropicante, I'm debating heading there too.  My wife loves massages and she can get one on the cheap there.  plus, I can have a could adult beverages waterside and even check out the bookstore, which I'm fascinated by the fact it exists there.

 

Cozumel has lots of access to all inclusive resorts for a day, tends to be the most affordable place in the Caribbean for day passes in my opinion.  Cozumel has three ports and I've only been to one, on Carnival.  Lots of shops, hard to find the exit!  There are a few bars and restaurants on the water to boot.  Cabs, if memory serves, are a bit pricey...but necessary to get downtown. it's a loooooong walk!

[mumachaz]

13 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

i think zq nailed it. 

 

we're headed on cruise this weekend and plan on hitting the pool at Harvest Caye - inexpensive + sun + water = good times.  I don't do the pools on the ship so I love getting to some at port.  

 

Costa - heard lots of positive buzz on Tropicante, I'm debating heading there too.  My wife loves massages and she can get one on the cheap there.  plus, I can have a could adult beverages waterside and even check out the bookstore, which I'm fascinated by the fact it exists there.

 

Cozumel has lots of access to all inclusive resorts for a day, tends to be the most affordable place in the Caribbean for day passes in my opinion.  Cozumel has three ports and I've only been to one, on Carnival.  Lots of shops, hard to find the exit!  There are a few bars and restaurants on the water to boot.  Cabs, if memory serves, are a bit pricey...but necessary to get downtown. it's a loooooong walk!

Costa Maya - We've been to Tropicante 3 times and it's our absolute favorite.   The beach is amazing and the water is absolutely perfect.  They will provide you with free lounge chairs & umbrellas and all they ask in return is that you purchase your food and drinks from them. The food is excellent and very reasonably priced.  You couldn't ask for a better place to spend a beach day. 

 

Roatan - the ship practically docks next to the port so it's a very short walk to the shops.  There are several small shops as well as a nice outdoor coffee shop.  At best we've spent 2 hours walking around.  If you're not going to go on an excursion, it's not a bad place to walk around, although there really isn't much to see.

 

Belize - There isn't much at the port if you're actually going to Belize, but we have also spent some time walking around and having our obligatory photo at the Belize sign.  (It's actually a fun thing to do!)  If you're going to the private island, the pool is fantastic but the drink prices will send you right back to the ship.

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

[brookie848]

Taxis in Roatan are not regulated, so if you plan on leaving the port to go to the beach, you are better off hiring a car for the day. We did this when we were there. We booked with Rony's and paid $30/person (there were three of us) for a driver for the entire day. We wanted a tour of the island and then we stopped for lunch on the beach. We made a few other stops as well.

 

Book a private tour/driver in Roatan. The companies have some pre-set tours, but are accommodating about letting you hire a driver for the day. When we go back to Roatan, we plan on using Rony's again and doing a few different things on the island.

[meldavey]

Thanks all, very helpful.   Port forums were great, as was the advice.   And may leave a bit up to chance too!

 

[OCruisers]

Mel .... Think you have good plans for most.

Just adding ...Belize is a place where you really need to book a shore excursion.   

[tanyaewa]

In your post you say there are 4 of you.  Costa Maya has an amazing water park that we booked as an excursion with our tean boys last December on the Freedom of the Seas.

https://maya-park.com/

 

When we book excursions I try to find something in the $50 price range and book it for our family. We did dune buggy rides in Cozumel. We did the waterpark in Costa Maya. And we did stingray swim in Grand Cayman. Except for the stingray swim I booked them all through the cruise line.

 

We have also taken local buses to beaches when there was nothing that interested us as an excursion.   Trip advisor is a very good resource as is the port forums here in cruise critic 

[newmexicoNita]

21 hours ago, meldavey said:

Hi all!   First off, love this site, great information!   I've read through several posts and have learned a great deal already.

 

So, we are 88 days away (or so) from our Getaway western Caribbean cruise.   Last night we went through all the excursions for all ports of call.   We are a family of 4, so I'm not looking to spend $400+ every day!   My question is what is there to do when we get dropped off at a port and don't take an excursion?  Norwegian site was not helpful.

 

I've been to Cozumel, so I know there's the town we can easily walk to, and beach not far also, and probably taxi to take us wherever.   We might do an excursion there anyway.

Roatan and Belize?  No idea.  Are we just dropped off at dock where we can walk to the beach?   Walk to town?   Pay for chairs on the beach (which I'm fine with).  I think I read that people head back to the ship for the free lunch, no idea what I'll do but probably support the locals and eat on the island, probably do some shopping too.

Costa Maya, I think we will do a ruins excursion.

 

Thanks for any tips or links!

 

- Mel

 

I would certainly do a tour in Roatan. there are so many and most are worth the time and money. We used Rony (I think that was how it was spelled) last time we did the Western Caribbean and have used Boden as well Both are great, but Rony is a little less expensive and a little more personal. As for taxies, you can hire one to take you to the beach area where the snorkeling is fantastic. 

 

I am not a lover of Belize, we have twice done tours, but now we choose just to stay on the ship. Other than to do a little shopping I would not do too much else there. 

 

Costa Maya: so many nice places. Even just off the ship you can do your own thing but the swimming and water activities are not as good as some of the other ports. 

[brookie848]

In Belize, are you actually going to Belize proper or are you stopping at Harvest Caye? There is a big difference between the two and plans will be completely different depending on where you are stopping.

[sirenitas]

We did this same itinerary a few years ago, but it was on Carnival which makes a difference only in the Belize stop.

In Costa Maya we used The Native Choice to go to the Chacchoben ruins - highly recommended. This was our splurge, it was $55 for adults and $45 for kids.

 

In Cozumel we hired Black Hat Cozumel as our driver. $20 per person and he took us all over the island. We went to the San Gervasio ruins (pretty small does not take a huge chunk of time), then we went to lunch and stopped at a couple of other places.  It was a rainy day so we did not do as much as we wanted to - good thing we are going back in May!

 

In Roatan we also hired a driver - we went with Victor Bodden and it was great (we really had a great first cruise!). $25 per person and the driver took us all over. We went to the beach, had lunch, went through all types of neighborhoods.

 

Belize depends on where you dock.  If you go to Harvest Caye, there is the beach and pool etc (have never been). If your ship goes to Belize City then it is a lot easier to do excursions. We went cave tubbing. Tons of fun, can't remember the name of the company we used but they were super fun and we got a really good lunch included in the price. I believe it was $30 per person.

 

I was torn whether to go to Belize or Costa Maya for ruins (could only do one) and felt there was more to do in Belize. I was really hoping our cruise in May would dock in Belize City so we could go to Altun Ha or Lamanai.

 

[NikkiDee-Canada]

I've heard that Costa Maya has a ton of stuff to do right in port, including swimming. We were supposed to go there but ended up getting diverted to Cozumel last minute due to an emergency on-board, so didn't have much time to plan from the ship. We ended up taking a cab to a resort for the day, which was gorgeous, but a bit pricier than we had planned. I will say that Cozumel seemed to have the most inexpensive kitchy souveniers in their market area, and my kids had a great time picking stuff out (including blankets for $5, and bracelets custom made in front of them with their names). They learned to haggle in Cozumel. Haha.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2018 by NikkiDee-Canada

[newmexicoNita]

2 hours ago, NikkiDee-Canada said:

I've heard that Costa Maya has a ton of stuff to do right in port, including swimming. We were supposed to go there but ended up getting diverted to Cozumel last minute due to an emergency on-board, so didn't have much time to plan from the ship. We ended up taking a cab to a resort for the day, which was gorgeous, but a bit pricier than we had planned. I will say that Cozumel seemed to have the most inexpensive kitchy souveniers in their market area, and my kids had a great time picking stuff out (including blankets for $5, and bracelets custom made in front of them with their names). They learned to haggle in Cozumel. Haha.

 

 

There is a lot to do right near the ship. Unless someone really wants to do something away from the ship like a tour, there is no reason to go further than just off the ship

 

To the person who recommended Boden, as I said earlier today we did enjoy tour with him but it was a heck of a lot more than $25 a person. Of course we did the all in one tour with the monkey farm etc. I recommend that one. We did the same with Rony last year: much cheaper than Boden and they covered more tourist traps.  

[sirenitas]

19 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

There is a lot to do right near the ship. Unless someone really wants to do something away from the ship like a tour, there is no reason to go further than just off the ship

 

To the person who recommended Boden, as I said earlier today we did enjoy tour with him but it was a heck of a lot more than $25 a person. Of course we did the all in one tour with the monkey farm etc. I recommend that one. We did the same with Rony last year: much cheaper than Boden and they covered more tourist traps.  

If you add activities to the tour it would be more - they have zipline for $45, snorkeling from a boat for $20 etc. 

[zqvol]

21 hours ago, newmexicoNita said:

There is a lot to do right near the ship. Unless someone really wants to do something away from the ship like a tour, there is no reason to go further than just off the ship

 

To the person who recommended Boden, as I said earlier today we did enjoy tour with him but it was a heck of a lot more than $25 a person. Of course we did the all in one tour with the monkey farm etc. I recommend that one. We did the same with Rony last year: much cheaper than Boden and they covered more tourist traps.  

 

This post is talking about Costa Maya, and is totally incorrect. There are three things to do at the port. Shopping, Eating, and getting in a swimming pool.

 

THe best thing to do at Costa Maya is to go into town on the tram, and go to one of the beach bars.

[newmexicoNita]

3 hours ago, zqvol said:

 

This post is talking about Costa Maya, and is totally incorrect. There are three things to do at the port. Shopping, Eating, and getting in a swimming pool.

 

THe best thing to do at Costa Maya is to go into town on the tram, and go to one of the beach bars.

Yes, that is true but aren't you getting technical here? The pool is fun, there are beach chairs all around and the shopping plus places to eat are everywhere right off the ship. I believe tho OP mentioned they were thinking about just chilling out near the water. This was my point, it that is what you want to do, yes, is if very available right off the ship.   Of course if they want to do an excursion which they indicate they do, they would not do it right off the ship My post was meant to help the op but giving others some ideas as well. 

[CardFanDubG]

On 11/21/2018 at 12:11 PM, brookie848 said:

Taxis in Roatan are not regulated, so if you plan on leaving the port to go to the beach, you are better off hiring a car for the day. We did this when we were there. We booked with Rony's and paid $30/person (there were three of us) for a driver for the entire day. We wanted a tour of the island and then we stopped for lunch on the beach. We made a few other stops as well.

 

Book a private tour/driver in Roatan. The companies have some pre-set tours, but are accommodating about letting you hire a driver for the day. When we go back to Roatan, we plan on using Rony's again and doing a few different things on the island.

 

We used Rony's on a family cruise this past summer. Here is a link for the review that I did on Roatan. The other ports are also reviewed in that thread. 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2018 by CardFanDubG

[newmexicoNita]

11 hours ago, CardFanDubG said:

 

We used Rony's on a family cruise this past summer. Here is a link for the review that I did on Roatan. The other ports are also reviewed in that thread. 

 

 

We loved using Rony. if we ever go back to Roatan, which is unlikely since our cruising days are about over, we would use him again. Boden was good as well. I think we have been to Roatan now about 6 times. In fact I remember when NCL was the only cruise line that did Roatan or I think it was the only one. It was about 1996 I am guessing.