Must see/do things in the Western Caribbean

[daisypaloma]

DH and I are going to the following places for our upcoming cruise in November:

Grand Cayman

Honduras

Belize

Cozumel

We'll be docked around 8-5 on each port. We are thinking the caves and/or snorkel in Cozumel, and maybe scuba in Honduras. Everything else is up in the air.

If you have to pick top 1-2 things to do in either places, which would you pick? Thanks!

[majesty318]

Stingray City in Grand Cayman - snorkeling with stingrays.

[ohyouknow]

Have you scouted around on cruisecritic.com? We found our tours through recommendations there and were not disappointed.

[gtkim]

Sept 11, 2014 12:47:05 GMT -5 ohyouknow said:

Have you scouted around on cruisecritic.com? We found our tours through recommendations there and were not disappointed.

This exactly.

We went cave tubing in Belize and absolutely loved it.  Booked it on our own through recs we found on cruise critic.

I've also been to Stingray City in Grand Cayman and would definitely recommend it.

[orangello]

If you're stopping in Roatan for the Honduras stop, definitely scuba. We only snorkeled while we were there and it was the best snorkeling I've had, and the divers we talked to all week had amazing stories - manta rays, whale sharks, etc.

If you just want to snorkel, West Bay beach is really fantastic snorkeling. Definitely the nicest corals we've seen on all our snorkeling stops, and tons of fish, including some really big guys.

[Captain Serious]

We did the Atlantis submarine in Cozumel, and it was really cool. We dove down to 111 feet and saw all sorts of fish and aquatic life. They took us past a ship wreck and we saw all the scuba divers checking it out. The highlight was when they showed us where the reef ended and the sea floor just dropped off like a cliff for over 2,000. That's something I'd likely never get the chance to see otherwise, as I'm not scuba certified.

After that we went to one of the beaches, Playa Mia. It was good for us with kids, but alone you may want to look for something nicer. It had a restaurant, beach with inflatable climbing structures in the water for kids, paddle boats, kayaks, and other water toys. It also had a pool, splash pool, and water slide. The bathrooms were well kept, and there were hammocks, beach chairs, and umbrellas for use. We paid one all-inclusive day fee, but I think the boats may have cost a little bit extra.

[Deleted]

We did that exact cruise for our honeymoon!

We did:
Grand Cayman: swim with sting rays- awesome!
Cozumel: Mayan ruins of Tulum- nice, beautiful beach!
Honduras- beach day at Tabyana, snorkeling
Belize- cave tubing

[Deleted]

.

We went on Carnival. Feel free to PM me with any questions any time!

[daisypaloma]

ladybug thank you!  Those photos looked amazing!

If you don't mind, I will PM you as the cruise week gets closer.  I'm pretty excited but I feel like I want to maximize my single days on these spots; which means I should only snorkel on one, scuba on another, cave exploration on another, etc., etc.

Did you book all of your shore excursions via the cruise line?

[Deleted]

Sept 12, 2014 10:01:39 GMT -5 daisypaloma said:

ladybug thank you!  Those photos looked amazing!

If you don't mind, I will PM you as the cruise week gets closer.  I'm pretty excited but I feel like I want to maximize my single days on these spots; which means I should only snorkel on one, scuba on another, cave exploration on another, etc., etc.

Did you book all of your shore excursions via the cruise line?

No problem!
Ya through carnival-I was much more comfortable knowing the shop wouldn't leave without me if my excursion through them was late. And it just seemed easier.

I did go through a 3rd party excursion company on a cruise to cabo with no issues though...

[steph196]

We did that exact cruise also. We got diverted and couldn't go to Grand Cayman (which was where we wanted to go the most!), but we still had a blast. We booked all of our excursions through other companies (that's what we always do on cruises). My favorite thing was swimming with rays and nurse sharks in Belize. We had a private boat and then they took us to Caye Caulker, which was my favorite spot! It's an adorable island! In Roatan, we also had a private tour of the island, and we went to the monkey sanctuary. We had been to Cozumel twice before and saw a ton of ruins, so we just rented a Jeep, went to the tequila factory, drove the island, and went parasailing (my mom wanted to do that).

Cava Antigua Tequila Factory in Cozumel

Cozumel


Caye Caulker (Belize)


Nurse Sharks in Belize


Roatan


Monkey Sanctuary in Roatan



Drunk in Roatan

[stephm0188]

We went snorkeling and did Stingray City in Grand Cayman.
Paradise Beach in Cozumel
Snorkeled in Belize. It was gorgeous but I kind of wish we had gone cave tubing.

[Deleted]

As a 8x cruiser I highly suggest you NOT book excursions through the cruise line... most times you are paying 2x -3x more than what you would pay if you booked through a 3rd party. The only time you should book with the line is if you are booking an all day excursion or one that is very far from the boat. Carry a watch (dont rely on your cell) and watch your time. You will be fine

[daisypaloma]

Sept 16, 2014 20:58:02 GMT -5 vigurl said:

As a 8x cruiser I highly suggest you NOT book excursions through the cruise line... most times you are paying 2x -3x more than what you would pay if you booked through a 3rd party. The only time you should book with the line is if you are booking an all day excursion or one that is very far from the boat. Carry a watch (dont rely on your cell) and watch your time. You will be fine

Thanks for replying; I remembered in previous posts that you're a cruise pro.

I've done both with and without the cruise line; I do liked the convenience of the ship not leaving if I book it with them, but it's definitely way cheaper on my own.

I'll likely book the Cozumel caving with the cruise line, and the rest on our own. 

[jenmjm]

Sept 17, 2014 15:51:06 GMT -5 daisypaloma said:

Sept 16, 2014 20:58:02 GMT -5 vigurl said:

As a 8x cruiser I highly suggest you NOT book excursions through the cruise line... most times you are paying 2x -3x more than what you would pay if you booked through a 3rd party. The only time you should book with the line is if you are booking an all day excursion or one that is very far from the boat. Carry a watch (dont rely on your cell) and watch your time. You will be fine

Thanks for replying; I remembered in previous posts that you're a cruise pro.

I've done both with and without the cruise line; I do liked the convenience of the ship not leaving if I book it with them, but it's definitely way cheaper on my own.

I'll likely book the Cozumel caving with the cruise line, and the rest on our own. 

Vigurl and I had the pleasure of cruising together on the Breeze last year. Like she suggested, DH and I wear waterproof watches ashore since we usually do water-based activities. Never had a problem making it back with plenty of time to spare. We have only ever booked a ship excursion once, on our first cruise, and never again. 

I have two different posts on the Western Caribbean in my blog below. Just click the Western Caribbean tag.

Have fun!