Excursion review from the Grand 2/10-2/17

[sadiea]

My husband and I just got off the Grand and I must say that I loved every stop this ship made. My husband and I are in our early 30s and we are very active, outdoorsy people. We don't cruise to drink or gamble and we don't particularly like to shop when we are in port. We try to choose excursions that allow us to see something beyond the port. In our opinion, it seems that the initial port is often overrun with pushy vendors, high priced souveniers and gimmicky flea markets. We like to get "into" the country and experience the culture and food if possible. If this describes you, then you will probably find this review helpful.

 

Our first stop was Costa Maya. Costa Maya isn't really even town on a map. It's a contrived port center built by the cruise ships to provide a large place for restaurants, shopping and swimming. Once you get beyond the gates of this complex, the real Mexico begins. We booked a Chacchoben Ruins tour with David and Ivan on the internet. This was fabulous! David and Ivan met us just beyond the gates. We boarded an airconditioned bus that took us to the ruins about 45 minutes away. Ivan gave us our tour and he was amazing. As a Mayan boy, the ruins were his playground as they hadn't been excavated yet. His family owned the property until the Mexican government took it away to excavate. His personal insight into the ruins and the cultural knowledge he imparted about the Mayan way of life really made the tour. The ruins are not as grand as Tulum, but they are impressive in their own right and well worth the trip! The whole tour took aobut 4 hours. Bugs were not a problem for us. Right at the entrance to Chacchoben there is a small flea market with local people selling their wares. The prices here were literally half of what they were at the Costa Maya port! On the way home, Ivan pointed out Mayan houses and villages and described cultural events that took place in the villages. As we drove through the villages, Mayan women and children were selling fresh pineapple and fruit that they grew in their backyards from roadside stands. Our bus stopped so that we could get some (a whole pineapple nicely peeled and sliced only $1.00). It was the best pineapple I've ever had! It was even better when we sprinkled some of the roasted chili pepper powder on top!

 

Our next stop was Roatan. We booked Victor Bodden online to be our guide for the day. $25.00 per person. What an amazing experience! He was right there beyond the gates at the port ready with an airconditioned bus for our group of 16! He recommended the Palmetto Zipline tour ($45.00 per person) which was great. We then went to his home to see his baby spider monkeys and then he took us to Half Moon Bay (free!)which had great snorkeling and was not overrun with cruise ship passengers. There were nice lounge chairs in the sun and nice calm waters for snorkeling. We saw small stingrays, tons of colorful fish, an eel-like fish and 2 small sharks! (2 ft is all). We were able to change from our shorts into swimsuits at the beach. There was a nice clean bathroom along with a very good beach restaurant. We ate delicious coconut shrimp and honey grilled lobster! While my husband and I applied insect repellent just to be safe from sand fleas, several in our group did not, and they didn't have any sand flea bites. We got a great tour of the island and a knowledgeable driver and van where we could leave our valuables when we were ziplining and at the beach. It was great to have insight into the island from a native.

 

The next stop was Belize. We went cavetubing with cave-tubing.com. 14 people went with us. We were in line for our tender tickets at 7am and had not problem getting a spot on the first tender out. Our group name was prominently displayed on a poster as we exited the port gates. we promptly boarded an airconditioned bus at 8am for the hour long trip to the river site. At the site, there is a huge bathroom complex (like 20 stalls) where you can change into your swimsuit if you didn't wear it. There was even a place to rent swim/water shoes for $3.00 This was handy as one person in our group forgot to bring them. You leave everything on the bus and wear only your swimsuit and water shoes as you go on a 30 minute walk through the jungle to the entry point. You are carrying your tube, headlamp and life vest as you do this. The hike (more like a nature walk)is not strenuous at all, just a little muddy in places. The water was not particularly cold, but it wasn't warm like the ocean either. It was a comfortable temperature. The ride down the river was awesome! We saw bats on the ceiling, birds nesting in some areas, waterfalls in the caves and lots of interesting cave formations. Plus, as we went in and out of caves, the jungle scenery was fabulous. When we were done, there was only about 5 minutes of walking and then you dumped off your tube, lamp and vest. You could then use the bathrooms to change into the dry clothes/shoes that you left on the bus. On the way back to the port we stopped at a local restaurant called "Amigos" for a great $5.00 grilled chicken and rice/beans and cole slaw lunch. We were back in port around 1:30. The price per person for this was $45.00.

 

In Cozumel, we booked a last minute deep sea snorkeling tour to Palancar Reef with the ship. I very rarely book excursions through the ship, but this turned out to be a great tour. We took a boat out about an hour to the middle of the ocean where we jumped off and snorkeled in really deep, clear water. I'd say the water was about 20-50 feet deep. We could see scuba divers on the bottom of the ocean floor. Our snorkel guide took us to the edge of the Columbia Shallows reef where we could see the big drop off or wall where the water went really deep and you couldn't see the bottom. It was here that we saw a bunch of sea turtles! I seriously felt like I was in a Jacque Cousteau nature film! Schools of fish swam near the surface all around us and we saw a number of interesting fish that we'd never seen before in shallower water. Because there is a definite current out at this reef, there was a snorkel guide with a flag and an orange life preserver kind of leading the way so you didn't get disoriented or lost. There was free cold bottled water, beer, diet coke, rum punch and tequila offered on the ride to and from the beach. The boat for this tour took off from the same pier where our ship was docked.

 

There's my detailed excursion report. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to respond quickly!

 

While we didn't enjoy leaving from Galveston because the weather was so dang cold and that kind of ruined the sea days where we like to lounge in the sun by the pool, the other 4 ports totally made up for it!

[goldpenny]

:) Thanks for the detailed info....we are on this cruise over Easter break and plan to do almost all the same trips you took.Looking forward to it!

[bioman]

What was the name of the excursion you did in Cozumel with the boat? We are going in March and looking for a good snorkeling excursion. Thanks!

[bioman]

What was the name of the excursion you did in Cozumel with the boat? We are going in March and looking for a good snorkeling excursion. Thanks!

[sadiea]

It was the New Waves Palancar Reef Snorkeling excursion. If I recall correctly, you could choose this option only, or add a 2 hour Palancar Beach Break with lunch excursion afterwards. Both groups were on our boat. Each group was labeled by wristbands. At the end of the snorkeling excursion, the boat dropped off about half the people at the beach and then took the snorkeling only group back to the pier. I can't comment on the beach break because I didn't do it, but the deep sea snorkeling was excellent!

[merl]

Thanks for the great review. We will be on the Grand April 7 and can't wait. We are booked with David and Ivan for the ruins tour and Victor Bodden for the zipline also. Thanks to all the great info passed along by cruisecritic people we feel very confident that we'll have a great time!

[Snoozeman]

Great excursion review. Thanks. :)

[Cindy]

In Cozumel, we booked a last minute deep sea snorkeling tour to Palancar Reef with the ship. I very rarely book excursions through the ship, but this turned out to be a great tour. We took a boat out about an hour to the middle of the ocean where we jumped off and snorkeled in really deep, clear water. I'd say the water was about 20-50 feet deep. We could see scuba divers on the bottom of the ocean floor. Our snorkel guide took us to the edge of the Columbia Shallows reef where we could see the big drop off or wall where the water went really deep and you couldn't see the bottom. It was here that we saw a bunch of sea turtles! I seriously felt like I was in a Jacque Cousteau nature film! Schools of fish swam near the surface all around us and we saw a number of interesting fish that we'd never seen before in shallower water. Because there is a definite current out at this reef, there was a snorkel guide with a flag and an orange life preserver kind of leading the way so you didn't get disoriented or lost. There was free cold bottled water, beer, diet coke, rum punch and tequila offered on the ride to and from the beach. The boat for this tour took off from the same pier where our ship was docked.

 

 

We did this excursion last year on the Grand, and thought it was so fantastic we're doing it again this year. It was a very small group compared to most ships' excursions, and the snorkeling was outstanding!