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Okay, my 7 Day cruise goes to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios. In Grand Cayman, I am definitely doing the Stingray City thing. :) i want to hear reviews of that as well as good excursions for the other ports. a friend recomended doing the Xcaret Eco Park in Cozumel. please, if you have done any of these things, tell me what excursions are the best. thanks
Answer
Cayman and Coz are very easy and safe to do on your own - Ocho, NOT.
If you want to do the stingray excursion, I suggest you book your own trip. Captain Marvin and Nativeway are two companies we've gone with and liked. There are several others. The trips with the ship's excursion are mob scenes and more expensive. You must, of course, allow sufficient time to get back to the ship on time and keep in mind that this is a tender port, so you need to allow for that. If there's time after your stingray trip, the driver may drop you off at Seven Mile Beach if you ask [some don't], then just catch a cab back to the dock. Or, just walk a few steps to the right of the tender dock [as you face shore] to Eden Rock, where you can snorkel or just hang out.
You do NOT want to do the Xcaret trip unless you can use a ship's excursion. It's a long, bumpy ferry ride over to the mainland, then a bus down to the park, then reverse. Unless your ship is in port until very late [say 8-10 pm] I wouldn't try it. Much easier to just grab a cab to Chankanaab Park or Paradise Beach [both have websites]. Again, just make sure you leave enough time to get back. I would suggest you go "first thing" in the morning, get back to the ship to change and grab a quick lunch and then go shopping or see the town. Better shopping if you go back a block from the main drag. Be aware that there are three docks in Coz, so make sure you tell the cabbie the right one - sometimes there's a language problem.
In Ocho, I would NEVER go out independently unless you just want to go over to Island Village [literally a five-minute walk to the right with your back to the ship] and hang out at Margaritaville and their beach. They don't allow hawkers there, so you can relax - although you will get hounded quite enough on that short walk. If you DO decide to go to Dunn's River Falls, you can avoid the hawkers at the end of your climb by going down the stairs back to the "entrance" and out to the parking lot. Be sure to bring water shoes or some type of "wet" shoe that will grip. You do not want to go into town to shop unless you are very street-wise and immune to constant badgering. One really nice thing we did on our first visit to OR was the "White River Tubing", on a ship's excursion. You float down a river on an innertube, then have some jerk chicken [there are live chickens running around you as you eat - guess they're not too smart!!] and some Red Stripe or Ting. Yum! Not sure I'd do that again after the problems some people have had, even on ship's excursions.
Always take with you the info from the daily activity sheet that gives the name/number of the ship's shore agent, just in case. Some people take their passports with them [leaving a copy in the cabin safe or accessible in an e-mail to yourself you've done ahead of time], as you'd need that to get out of the country if the ship left you behind. You'd need money or a credit card, too, of course.
We once had an interesting experience at Cayman. The ship weighed anchor and was beginning to put out to sea when we stopped. The small pilot boat was heading toward us and when it arrived, two women, loaded down with shopping bags, climbed up a rope ladder to the crew's entrance. A crew member was standing near us as we watched and remarked how this captain was nice to do that and that not all of them would.
You can find lots of info on excursions at CruiseCritic.com. Click on "Boards", then "Ports of Call" and find your ports.
Have a great cruise!!
Cayman and Coz are very easy and safe to do on your own - Ocho, NOT.
If you want to do the stingray excursion, I suggest you book your own trip. Captain Marvin and Nativeway are two companies we've gone with and liked. There are several others. The trips with the ship's excursion are mob scenes and more expensive. You must, of course, allow sufficient time to get back to the ship on time and keep in mind that this is a tender port, so you need to allow for that. If there's time after your stingray trip, the driver may drop you off at Seven Mile Beach if you ask [some don't], then just catch a cab back to the dock. Or, just walk a few steps to the right of the tender dock [as you face shore] to Eden Rock, where you can snorkel or just hang out.
You do NOT want to do the Xcaret trip unless you can use a ship's excursion. It's a long, bumpy ferry ride over to the mainland, then a bus down to the park, then reverse. Unless your ship is in port until very late [say 8-10 pm] I wouldn't try it. Much easier to just grab a cab to Chankanaab Park or Paradise Beach [both have websites]. Again, just make sure you leave enough time to get back. I would suggest you go "first thing" in the morning, get back to the ship to change and grab a quick lunch and then go shopping or see the town. Better shopping if you go back a block from the main drag. Be aware that there are three docks in Coz, so make sure you tell the cabbie the right one - sometimes there's a language problem.
In Ocho, I would NEVER go out independently unless you just want to go over to Island Village [literally a five-minute walk to the right with your back to the ship] and hang out at Margaritaville and their beach. They don't allow hawkers there, so you can relax - although you will get hounded quite enough on that short walk. If you DO decide to go to Dunn's River Falls, you can avoid the hawkers at the end of your climb by going down the stairs back to the "entrance" and out to the parking lot. Be sure to bring water shoes or some type of "wet" shoe that will grip. You do not want to go into town to shop unless you are very street-wise and immune to constant badgering. One really nice thing we did on our first visit to OR was the "White River Tubing", on a ship's excursion. You float down a river on an innertube, then have some jerk chicken [there are live chickens running around you as you eat - guess they're not too smart!!] and some Red Stripe or Ting. Yum! Not sure I'd do that again after the problems some people have had, even on ship's excursions.
Always take with you the info from the daily activity sheet that gives the name/number of the ship's shore agent, just in case. Some people take their passports with them [leaving a copy in the cabin safe or accessible in an e-mail to yourself you've done ahead of time], as you'd need that to get out of the country if the ship left you behind. You'd need money or a credit card, too, of course.
We once had an interesting experience at Cayman. The ship weighed anchor and was beginning to put out to sea when we stopped. The small pilot boat was heading toward us and when it arrived, two women, loaded down with shopping bags, climbed up a rope ladder to the crew's entrance. A crew member was standing near us as we watched and remarked how this captain was nice to do that and that not all of them would.
You can find lots of info on excursions at CruiseCritic.com. Click on "Boards", then "Ports of Call" and find your ports.
Have a great cruise!!
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Title Post: Best Cruise Excursions (Carnival Liberty)?
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Rating: 97% based on 9832 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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