First time on a cruise...tons of questions

[heather31]

I have spent 2 days reading the board and still have lots of questions. I booked our very first cruise for April 2009 and really don't have any idea what to expect. We are leaving out of Galveston on the Carnvial Esctasy for 5 days. Ports will be Progreso and Cozumel. I am traveling with my husband who doesn't want to spend a fortune on excursions and 2 daughters who just want to play on the beach when we get to the ports.

 

Are there public beaches at these two ports? How easy is it to get to the public beaches?

[cb at sea]

A cruise is just a vacation "on the move", so to speak! The ship isn't much different from most resorts.

Get yourself a guidebook (libraries are free) on your ports. Most beaches do NOT require excursions and are easily done on your own. But do a bit of research first, so you'll know about transportation, which beach is right for you (there may be several!), restrooms and restaurant facililties, etc....

You are going to be sooooo addicted to cruising! Enjoy!

[DireMongoose]

I have spent 2 days reading the board and still have lots of questions. I booked our very first cruise for April 2009 and really don't have any idea what to expect. We are leaving out of Galveston on the Carnvial Esctasy for 5 days. Ports will be Progreso and Cozumel. I am traveling with my husband who doesn't want to spend a fortune on excursions and 2 daughters who just want to play on the beach when we get to the ports.

 

Are there public beaches at these two ports? How easy is it to get to the public beaches?

 

Check out the port specific message boards here:

 

Progreso: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=154

 

Cozumel: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=210

 

There people are asking/answering lots of questions like this and if you search on something like 'beach' you'll probably see a lot of helpful information.

[gumbolady]

You can find this info on the Cozumel board, but in case you don't come across it, this website http://www.cozumelinsider.com/Beaches?From=History will give you tons of info on the beaches in Cozumel.

[Sheffie]

In Cozumel, Paradise Beach would probably be perfect for you. It is an easy taxi ride away, and taxis back to the ship are plentiful.

 

If you check out my cruise photos in my signature, you will find a Cozumel album. The beach we went to is Paradise Beach.

 

Enjoy your first cruise!

[RoofingPrincess]

When I sailed on the Ecstasy in September, the place where we docked in Cozumel was quite a way away from everything; we needed to take a cab to get to where the shops and restaurants were. Don't know about the beaches. Sorry, can't tell you how much the cab cost (the nice gentleman I was with picked up the fare).

In Progreso, the pier is 4 miles long, but there is a free shuttle that takes you to town. From there, unless your daughters are quite young, walking to the beach area could be an option.

[WisCruiser2]

There's a National Park in Cozumel -- Chankanaab -- that you can take a taxi to (less than $10 and 15 minutes each way). There's an entrance fee, but google it for the website to print off a $2 coupon. You can rent snorkel equipment (the snorkeling area is quite rocky to get in and out of the water), there's a sand swimming area, beach (of course), restaurant and bars, and a walking path with replicas of Mexican ruins.

[JSQ01]

We also sailed the Ecstasy and when we were in Cozumel went to the Playa Uvas beach club. Very inexpensive. You take a taxi there ($10) then there are a variety of activities or you can sit on their comfy lounge chairs all day. You can google the club and email them with any questions. Very nice people and a great way to just sit on the beach. It wasn't crowded at all, and I thought it was a great price. We actually did the whole package - clear bottom kayak/snorkel/lunch for $50 pp. (it's cheaper if you don't want to do these things.) This also included all drinks too, though we are not big drinkers...

[chickadee12]

Viewed your photos and I think they are wonderful. Very inspiring. First time cruiser. Cruising in Jan 2010 on the Independence.

 

Thks again.