Excursions, excursions, excursions...

[nebraska lady]

Hey all;

So we’re all set to sail March ninth; now is the time to plan excursions. I’ll need to be careful, since I’m paying for six People ages 16-46 on a TIGHT budget. Im hoping to do two for this seven day cruise. Below is the itinerary
 I’m wavering between snorkeling, horseback riding, beach breaks, river falls, stingrays..?

Would anyone share their opinions on which location is best for which activity? Is Cayman best for horse riding? is Montego Bay a good beach break? Is there anything in particular to avoid? TIA

Misty

[psmarkle]

As a general piece of advice, you'll save a lot of $$ by booking directly with vendors vs through the cruise ship. Just research "best excursions for ___(port)____."  We've never been late to the ship as they all know ship departure times.

 

For Grand Cayman, 7-mile beach is awesome, but does get crowded.  We took a taxi van ($5 or $6per person, I believe) to Royal Palms Beach Club and rented a cabana.  Good food and buckets of beer!

 

Jamaica has lots of local tours to Dunn's river falls and river tubing vs buying thru the ship.  On the beaches, you will encounter lots of people coming up to try and sell you things.

 

At Costa Maya, we plan on doing the water park when we stop there in April...looking forward to it!

[perakcruiser]

Montego: Need to take a taxi to the beach. Bargaining hard is necessary, but usually successful. Avoid Doctor's Cave Beach at all cost, Walter Fletcher Beach is closest to the ship, good choice. We prefer Dead End Beach close to the airport, really cool place. Both places I did not see any people coming and trying to sell things. 

 

Grand Cayman: Here the problem of "private beaches" is fortunately not so big. Just walk north, the beach close to a place called "Laguna del Mar" is good. MSC has some quite nice excursions not too expensive, Stingray City for example. 

 

Costa Maya: This place totally sucks. Stay on the ship or book a excursion to the Maya ruins. Also available at the cruise terminal, but also expensive. Don´t even think about the water park, it is one of the worlds Top 10 worst tourist traps 

 

 

[SteelCruisin]

We just returned from Ovean Cay and unless you have a strong constitution, I would think any activity here would not include swimming as the water was inviting but really cold ..... the beaches are awesome

[sidari]

1 hour ago, SteelCruisin said:

We just returned from Ovean Cay and unless you have a strong constitution, I would think any activity here would not include swimming as the water was inviting but really cold ..... the beaches are awesome

SC ... Any idea what the temperature was on the island ?

[SteelCruisin]

4 minutes ago, sidari said:

SC ... Any idea what the temperature was on the island ?

It was in the mid 70s farenheit... the lagoon was cooler than the ocean as well.

[sidari]

SC ... Thanks for that.

[mamaneedsavacay]

On 12/3/2019 at 1:38 PM, nebraska lady said:

 

 I’m wavering between snorkeling, horseback riding, beach breaks, river falls, stingrays..?

Would anyone share their opinions on which location is best for which activity? Is Cayman best for horse riding? is Montego Bay a good beach break? Is there anything in particular to avoid? TIA

Misty

In grand cayman, you can book a local operator to do a combo tour of stingray city/ snorkeling.  Search the Grand Cayman forum for recommendations and prices. In Costa Maya, you can't beat Maya Chan,  however they book up fast because their all inclusive service is amazing. 

[jhaagens]

Grand Cayman, we've always just grabbed a cab and told them we wanted to go to the beach.  Usually end up at Royal Palms and it's a peaceful relaxing day.

 

In Jamaica, we always like to set up a river tubing excursion.  Nothing crazy, just a lazy float down the river.  The guides have always been really fun and even my teenagers enjoy it.

[NeedToVacation]

We just got back from Costa Maya and had a GREAT time at Hayhu Beach Club! It's away from the crowds - no vendors. Beach was a blast. We used their stand-up paddle boards, and there were kayaks available too. Snorkeling was OK. Their food was DELICIOUS, and service was great!! Would highly recommend. ** Bring mosquito repellant wherever you end up **

 

Years ago, from the port at Montego Bay, we ended up at Mayfield Falls. I guess there are organized tours there, but we just went in a taxi. (Weren't sure where we were going at the time!?!) It's definitely off the beaten path - and less crowded than the other "Falls" tours. Look it up online and see if it's something you might like. We had a wonderful time.

 

Grand Cayman is known for the Stingray Tours, but there will be LOTS of people. It's still fun to do once. Look for a smaller company, like a sailboat maybe (?).      OR...last time, we took a taxi to Smith Cove for peace & quiet at a small local beach area. Brought our own snorkel gear and swam around. An ice cream truck pulled up in the afternoon. No facilities though.

 

I'm looking at doing the snorkel boat tour from MSC on the new private island, Ocean Cay, in January. I can let you know how that goes if you'd like. The rest of the day will be for exploring all the beaches! Can't wait!!

 

Good luck and have FUN!!

[shukapaw]

On 12/8/2019 at 1:46 PM, mamaneedsavacay said:

In grand cayman, you can book a local operator to do a combo tour of stingray city/ snorkeling.  Search the Grand Cayman forum for recommendations and prices. In Costa Maya, you can't beat Maya Chan,  however they book up fast because their all inclusive service is amazing. 

Agree 100%! No visit to Grand Cayman is complete without a swim with the stingrays. You get to hold/touch/feed them and it makes for awesome photos.

Maya Chan in Costa Maya is excellent. We've been three times and are returning again in June. 

 

~Brian

[jkgourmet]

STINGRAYS STINGRAYS STINGRAYS.  

 

DH does not like the water - he barely swims.  Yet, Out of 25+ cruises (including Japan, Europe and the Mediterranean) and many trips overseas (including Thailand,  Malaysia, Borneo, china, capetown and a S african safari), the stingrays experience in GC remains one of his all time favorites.   I loved it too.

 

Use an independent vendor.   The cruise excursions go to overcrowded areas.  

[Greenhopster]

My best recommendation for Grand Cayman is Soto's Cruises, https://www.sotoscruises.com/. Stingray City and Coral Gardens snorkel. We used them 4 or 5 times. Small group of 12 or 14. Very professional. Pickup and drop off at the pier. They give you sardines to feed the stingrays. The rays are like big puppy dogs. They come around begging for snacks. Not mean or dangerous, just slippery.