Western Caribbean

[IrishJewel]

We are doing the Western Caribbean on carnival victory Jan 2, 2005. Im confused and baffled wiht just about everything, including the shore excursions. We have never cruised before, boy o boy so much info.

Pls advise which excursions to do, how to book them, and if anyone has been on the victory, we are 1/3 from back of ship, upper deck stateroom, is this location ok? is front of ship better? is upper deck loud cause of the entertainment deck immediately below? i am sooo unfamiliar with crusing, anything can help.. thanks so much

[Darcy]

Which ports are you going to?

[IrishJewel]

visiting cozumel, ocho rios and grand cayman.

[hkolln]

In grand caymen do the stingray sandbar excursion. We booked ours thru Nativeways but I'm sure the ship offers this tour too.

In Cozumel we took a ferry over to the mainland and went to Tulum on our first cruise and then did a jeep/cavern/beach tour on our 2nd one that went to Cozumel. I really depends upon what you are interested in. The Mayan ruins was very interesting however the bus ride there and back was an hour each way so be prepared for that.

In ocho rios we are booked with Peat Taylor to do an island/dunns river falls tour. He's an independent tour guide and I've heard great things about him and his tours online. We'll be in ocho rios in Feb 2005 on our next cruise.

I have a website with into and pics on our last cruise (March 2004) where we went to Grand caymen, costa maya, belize, and cozumel. http://kollnfamily.com/inspirationcruise.htm

Have a great cruise!



Post Edited (09-10-04 06:55)

[Darcy]

In Grand Cayman we took a snorkel/sting ray sandbar trip through Soto's Cruises. It was 2 snorkel sites and the stingray sandbar. Took about 3 hours and was $24/pp. I highly recommend them. We had a wonderful time.

In Cozumel we went to Chankanaab Park and did the Sea Trek diving and a sea lion swim. It was a great place. You can snorkel right off the beach, they have a botanical garden and a Mayan Ruin replica. This is where you can book a swim with the dolphins if you're interested. They have restrooms, lockers, restaurants, bars, shade huts, beach chairs and showers there too.

Hope this helps.

Darcy

[Jeanne Poulin]

Irish Jewel,

Don't stress out. Part of the fun of cruising is enjoying the experience. Everyday you will get a daily list of activities that ship has to offer.

Don't worry so much about your room,
you will be to busy having fun. yes some accommodations are more luxurious than others but everyone has access to the same port of calls and facilities on the ship.

As far as shore excursions, there is much info on threads on the places you will travel to. the suggestions of others are good ones. Tulum, Chankanaab park stingrays/sandbar trip, You can also wait to you get on ship to listen to the cruise director's input. We usually have an iternary we have scheduled. some time it is advisable to book on line because it is cheaper and you can reserve. but we have also enjoyed hiring as taxi driver for a day and doing several excursions that an organized tour would not have the time to complete.

We been on many cruises which will date me but they all have provided special memories.

[IrishJewel]

Wow Thank You Thank You so much. Anyone needing a good idea of exactly what to expect on a cruise ( if you're a newbie like me) do visit this familys website. Wonderful, so much appreciated! Im like a kid at Christmas lol

We took our first cruise to the same ports in August. We booked a stringray city/coral reef snorkeling trip in Grand Cayman with Cap'n Marvin. I highly recommend it. My family of 5 were on the boat with another family of 3. That's it. If you book with the cruise line from what I heard you have a large party. Even if you haven't snorkeled or are not fond of the water, try it. The other Mom on the boat was assisted in the water by the crew and because the water is so salty you are very bouyant. She just floated on the top and was able to see all the beautiful fish.
In Cozamel we went to Chankuneab(spelling) and did the dolphin swim by Dolphin Discovery. Expensive but the highlight of our trip. We took a taxi to the park 10.00 for 4 and admission was 12.00 each to enter the park. Great snorkeling here. Rental for mask and snorkel 5.00 to 10.00. I take my own snorkel(germ phobic).
In Jamaica we also did the Peat Taylor tour which was very good.
I recommend booking your excursions in advance whether booking independently or through the cruiseline. My boys waited to book onship for a couple excusions and their first choices were not available.
Have a great time. I have travelled alot and this was my first cruise. Relaxing and also a fun filled vacation; the best of both worlds.
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