o-state girl

Don't they sort the trash between recyclables and non-recyclables?  I bet a crew member found them....eventually.

I've used cavetubing.bz twice.  I have been very happy with the service that they gave.  I think they are running a special right now that includes a Belizean lunch of stewed chicken with beans and rice for $35.  

Glad you were successful.  I hope you enjoy your tubing!

Rony's Tours and Bodden Tours will both be good options.  I think the base price for a private tour is around $40 each for two people.  You would add costs based on admission/activity fees for other things that you might want to see.  I've used them both.  I used Rony's last time and was very happy with the service.  

I don't know if you've tried them both, but it looks like there may be two email addresses:  info@cavetubing.bz and vitalinoreyes@gmail.com. Maybe one of them is not current.  

The group that provides the shuttle to/from the pier to town is AutoProgreso.  They have tours to both of the ruins that you mentioned.  You can book ahead of time through them, or for a few dollars more you can book through shoreexcursioneer.com (they have a guarantee that they will get you back to the ship or pay to get you to the next port).

I'm not trying to second guess, but is it possible they replied and it went to your spam or junk email folder?  I have used them twice, and they were excellent both times.

St. Lucia- We did a wonderful full day tour with Cosol Tours.  It included snacks and several stops.  Some of the highlights were the Piton, the mudbaths, and a waterfall.  I think it's around $80 for around 5.5 to 6 hours.

St. Kitts- Had a wonderful time on the Grand Tour of St. Kitts with Thenford Grey (Grey's Island Excursions).  It's around $55 for around 4-6 hours.  He takes you to several highlights of the island, and then you have a choice whether to spend a couple of hours at the beach or shopping.  

I've stayed at the Super 8 Webster/NASA twice.  It is basic, but it seemed clean and a good value.

I'm so glad you guys got to visit!

How about a Yeti-style insulated cup personalized with their names or some sort of cruise saying?

Personalize a Yeti style cup for her to take on the cruise.  It's really nice to have a cold drink available.  

37 minutes ago, ccturner26 said:

No issues getting to them and back to the boat in plenty of time?  So worried to use a non-Carnival tour for this.

We had no issues. The second time we used them, the tenders from the ship were a little late to get started so we left for the tour a little later than expected. The tour guides just shortened our hike time a little bit from what it was the first time we went. The first time they had stopped a few times during the hike to explain how the Mayans used different trees for  medicine or other uses. The second time was a little more rushed, but we still had plenty of time to tube and eat lunch. They got us back to the port about 45 minutes to an hour before the last tender. 

Cavetubing.bz provides a Belizean lunch with their excursions.  I have used them twice and have really been impressed with their service.

If you love animals, go volunteer for a couple of hours at the Cozumel Humane Society.  It is less than a mile from the International and Puerta Maya cruise terminals.  After playing with the dogs and cats, head to the Money Bar for a couple of hours.  Have lunch and relax in their lounge chairs for a few hours.  The snorkeling is pretty good there too.  

I buy the wall decoration stickers from Dollar Tree.  They peel off with no residue.  If you keep the waxy paper that they come on, you can put the sticker back on it and use it for another cruise.

I have visited the Cozumel Humane Society on two different cruises.  The first time (on a Fantasy cruise out of Mobile), we took several collars and leashes in a backpack, and then assisted with the Spay/Neuter clinic that happened to be that day (we monitored animals after their operation as they came out of sedation).  The last time we visited, we took hair ball gel for cats, some surgical caps, and a few other small things.  They post a wish list of items that they need on their FB page (right now it looks like some of the smaller stuff that would be easy to pack would include kitty litter scoopers, poop/waste bags, and AA and AAA batteries).  I would probably skip taking a suitcase full of dog food just because it might be difficult to get past the inspection post at the Cozumel dock (they usually have agricultural dogs that are sniffing for food products).  It is about a 10-15 minute walk from the cruise dock.  Take bottled water with you because it can get hot on the way to/from there.  Once you leave the main avenue, there are few sidewalks so I would wear something like tennis shoes since you will be walking along the side of the road in the grass/dirt. I would not hesitate to visit there again.  They do great things there.  

The LaQuinta in Ennis is really nice, but you would have about a 4 hour drive the next day.  I have stayed at the Super 8 Houston/Webster/NASA area.  It wasn't fancy, but it was clean and had a great location.  It is only about a 45 minute drive to the port from there.

That is how we signed our affidavit for RCL when we went in September.  

Another vote for the motion sick medication.  I took some and was lucky enough to grab the front seat, so I was okay.  Had I been elsewhere in the van...I'm not sure I would have made it without at least one incident.

22 hours ago, kaimountain said:

 

Did you feel pressed for time to make it back to the ship with this tour? We are considering booking this one with 3 Cuzama Cenotes through Shore Excursioner also. Our ship time in Progreso is 9am-5pm. I don't want to be running back to the ship! LOL! Just wondering how long it actually takes and is there some room for traffic/error/whatever in their planning? 

It looks like this tour is only 5 hours long and it comes with the "Back to Ship" guarantee.  They should pay up to $500 per person to get you to your next port if the excursion results in you missing the boat.  We used them for our Chichen Itza tour (6 hours) last March and had no problems getting back to the ship.

Shoreexcursioneer has a Chichen Itza tour that is only about 6 hours long.  It's a little cheaper that what the cruise line offers ($55), and they guarantee that they will get you back to port on time or pay up to $500 per person to transport you to meet the ship at the next port.  

Another option would be to try the Dzibilchaltun/Merida combo tour through Autoprogresso.  Then you could get a little bit of ruin time (compared to Chichen Itza and Uxmal they aren't really that impressive) followed by seeing the Spanish colonial city of Merida.  This company is the same one that provides the shuttles up and down the pier in Progreso.  I think the combo tour is about $39.

I think they want payment in CUC's.  They may take USD (you would have to message him), but I'd bet that they will have to charge more in order to cover their exchanging it to a currency they can use on the island.

If you are tired of beach time, are an animal lover, and want to do something a little different, the Humane Society of Cozumel is within walking distance of the Puerta Maya and International cruise terminals.  The people who work there are warm and welcoming and it is fun to go visit and help with things like socializing the animals or taking them for walks.  On one of our visits, they were doing a spay/neuter clinic, and we were able to help monitor the animals as they woke up from their anesthesia.

West Bay in Roatan is some of the best snorkeling I have ever done.  Money Bar is usually my go to place if I'm wanting an inexpensive DIY day in Cozumel, but as one of the other members has said, the current can be a little strong there at times.