Chalker Guy

If you want to know everything about Cozumel (and/or Cancun, Mexican Rivera, Mayan ruins) google MAPCHICK for illustrated maps that show everything imaginable. You can order them online, and they arrive within a couple of days.

your welcome. There is not much in the immediate Falmouth area outside of the cruise dock enclosure that you would feel comfortable with alone, as the locals are pretty aggressive. Red stripe is the exception.

Where do you like to snorkel in Grand Cayman and Cozumel? We will be there (and Falmouth) the week of 2/1. Have been to Cozumel many times, and Grand Cayman 3 times, but haven't found snorkeling that compares to Roatan yet.

PS,

If you walk toward the left as you face the water, maybe a couple hundred yards, you will go around a point and have a great view of your ship.

Red Stripe beach is close to the port, nice beach with plenty of shade nearby, very safe. Not real big, but you can walk along the beach for quite a distance either side. The water is ok for wading, but not good snorkeling. As far as I know, the only way you can go there is through the ship excursions. This would be a very safe way for a single to go, jut book through the ship (I almost never recommend this, but here is the exception). You will be escorted to the bus with the group from within the tourist enclosure. Through Royal Caribbean, I think the excursion is around $28, plus you may want to buy food and possibly rent a beach chair $5? Good luck and have a good time.

Money bar, Corona Beach Club, and Tikila bar (just north of the International pier) are all good alternatives to Chankanaab with decent snorkeling and easy water entry that are free to snorkel, just buy a couple of beers and some nachos. Chakanaab can be a bit pricy, especially if you don't intend to stay very long.

We were there 2 years ago, but Sorry, it is now closed.

Been to Cayman on cruises several times, and love to snorkel. Which would you regulars rate as the best snorkel site?

Eden Rock

Smith Cove

Sunset House

Cemetery Beach

Other??

We have snorkeled Eden Rock and wreck of the Cali, and Coral Gardens after Stingray City.

With only one day, I would start the day by taking the streetcar (1.25 cash each way) to the Garden District and do a self-guided walking tour. See: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/new-orleans/717266

 

Then have a quick lunch before doing a guided tour of the St. Louis Cemetery #1. (We did the 1pm tour with French Quarter Phantoms.)

 

Spend the rest of the afternoon and evening in the FQ. If the lines are too long for Cafe du Monde (they were when we were there a couple weeks ago), just pick up a box of their beignet mix in any of several FQ stores or at the airport. I've had beignets at Cafe du Monde in the past and the ones you make at home with their mix are just as good--plus you don't have to squeeze yourself into a small table surrounded by hundreds of other people!

Where would you recommend we get that quick lunch? There doesn't seem to be many (if any) places close to Cemetery #1.

There are great free downloadable walking tours with maps at http://www.bigboytravel.com/louisiana/neworleans

Major hurricane about 8 years ago (I don't remember the name) did lots of damage to the west side Cozumel reefs. We have snorkeled several places, and it is just OK, nothing spectacular. Much better in Roatan West End or Half Moon Bay. We usually snorkel Coz from the beach, and you can access many of the places the tours go direct from the beach for free or just buy something at one of several beach bars (Money bar, i believe Sunset beach, and one whose name I can't remember just north of the south cruise ship dock). Last time we booked a 3 stop snorkel tour to Palancar. What a disappointment! The boat picked us up at Money Bar, then they proceeded to cruise down the coast and stop at docks by all the hotels to pick up more people. Only had a short time at the 3 stops, playing "follow the leader" the whole time. The tour took the whole afternoon, mostly riding the small glass bottom boat. Didn't see anything but sand from the glass bottom.

Looks like on the Auto Show which I expect would be 95% locals.

 

I will check when it gets closer.

 

Thanks

I like Fairchild House B & B. It's old, creaky floors, antiques, but clean and convenient location 1 block from St. Charles streetcar stop. Prytania Park across the street is similar.

There are not many places to purchase wine near Prytania Park hotel. The closest 2 are the Walgreens on St. Charles and St. Mary street, about 3 blocks from PP hotel going away from the city. We buy a 12 pack of soft drinks there to carry on. There is also a small community grocery store at Prytania and Josephine, 6 blocks from PP going away from the city. There are several places to have breakfast on St Charles within a couple of blocks of PP.

I read that taxis can be booked by the hour for $32/hour with a 2 hour minumum. Last time we were in NOLA, our taxi driver from the airport was very talklative and eager to share his knowlege about NOLA. Has anyone booked a taxi by the hour for a city tour? Seems like a reasonable and inexpensive way to see the city, especially for a party of 4.

Looking for a safe, inexpensive place to stay with reasonable access to French Quarter for 2-3 nghts post cruise, the week before Mardi Gras, beginning 2/7. Prices seem to be all jacked up, even Priceline and Hotwire. Is Gretna a good option? What is taxi fare from Gretna to French Quarter?

According to the specs for the Pentax and Olympus TG-2 and 3, they also have a 2-tier locking system. Only thing with the TG830 is that it has a higher focal length than the WG-3 or TG-2/3.

I didn't say 2 tier, I said 2 seal. Their 2 tier means you need 2 motions to unlock the door. Two seals means that there are 2 seal ridges on the rubber seal, one against a flat surface and a second against an angled suirface. Far superior to Pentax, Olympus may also have it on their other cameras, but I haven't seen the TG-2 or 3.

After sending in my Fuji XP100 under warranty for water damage (I like to snorkel, and it leaked, just like several previous "waterproof" cameras), it was not fixable so they sent me a refund. After a long search and looking at a lot of cameras (incljuding Canon D20, Nikon AW100, several Pentax's, and several others, I found a Olympus TG830 on closeout at Wal-Mart. Wow, a great camera! Lots of features, lots of scene settings especially underwater, great pictures, and closeout for $164. I naturally bought the extended 3 yr warranty for another $14.

The thing that impressed me most is their door seals. It is the only one I have seen that has a dual seal strip, i.e. 2 ridges that contact the surrouding frame, one flat and one at an angle. I am an engineer, and I can vouch for this being a very advanced design. Can't wait to get it into some saltwater, but that won't happen until next January (we live in Nebraska, and go snorkeling on January winter vacations)

There is a gas station on Lee Circle that has a small selection. Also a Walgreens at 1801 St. Charles (also has 12-packs of soda), and for a better selection, Zara's at 2042 Prytania (1 block off of St. Charles). Zara's is a small neighborhood grocery that also has an outdoor barbecue.

Having snorkeled all of the above except for Columbia and Palancar reefs in Cozumel, Tabayana (West Bay) or Half Moon Bay in Roatan would be my first choice. There is also a resort on the near side of the island that has day passes for cruise ship visitors and is supposed to have really good diving and snorkeling, I can't remember the name. Costa Maya is ok if you take a boat, but not so good from shore. Belize is good if you take the lo-o-ong boat ride to Caye Caulker or flight to Ambergris Caye, but no good snorkeling close to Belize City. Cozumel has decent snorkeling from shore, best is at Money Bar (Dzul Ha) or Corona Beach Club (free with food/drink purchase) or Chankanaab (not quite as good, $21 admission fee). There is a boat snorkel tour that leaves from Money Bar twice a day to Palancar and Columbia for $45, which I plan to try week after next. I would second the recommendation of Victor Bodden tours on Roatan. He will take you wherever you want to go, watch your stuff while you snorkel, all for a reasonable price. Be careful to not confuse West Bay (Tabayana and surrounding area) with West End. A stop at Yaba Ding Ding is interesting for local crafts and Lenca pottery.

Clarification: When you try the mask to see if it seals, don't put the strap around your head. It should stay in place just from the suction.

I strongly second the recommendation to get your own mask and snorkel, and to try it out to verify the mask seals in advance. If your mask leaks, snorkeling can be quite challenging if you have water in your face. Try a mask putting it over your face, making sure to not have any hair under the seal, then sucking in through your nose. If it grips your face and doesn't fall off even when you quit sucking in (but not blowing out) it seals.

Some snorkeling tour operators provide new (cheap) snorkels, but just in case, its good to bring your own. You can get a decent snorkel for under $10. Check with your local sporting goods store, dive shop, or online.