PurrSusan

😻 We've also done this and yes, we loaded down with cat treats beforehand too! So much fun for cat lovers (and the cats loved it too!).

On 2/20/2022 at 4:37 PM, edsbeaker said:

sorry for the late response, but Thank you for the information.  We will go by taxi.  We will be there in two days and excited to go.

edsbeaker: Did you go to Parotte Ville? Would love to hear about it, We're thinking about going in 2 weeks. We plan to take a taxi there & then go by taxi to Orient Beach afterwards. What do you think? How much was the taxi to Parotte Ville?  Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Save out some time to snorkel along the "drop" where they dredged out the channel for cruise ships to dock. The bottom goes from 15 ft. to around 40, and we saw quite a few fish there. Visibility was stellar; we were able to see a cinderblock on the bottom (and of course had to try to freedive down to touch it....which we did. :) ) There's also a sunken cannon and an anchor inside the line in about 15 ft. depth.

This would be out by the safety line, a bit north of Margaritaville. Don't swim past the safety line as you'll be whistled back by someone riding a Sea-doo, or warned away by ship's crew members, as the ship is within 100 feet or so.

Here's a view of the "drop" as seen from the ship!

Yes, there were two parasailors. There were also about 6 wave runners available for rent. Two were rented while we were there.

Thanks for the info! We won't be there until Aug so things should be even better by then :)

Was anybody parasailing at Orient? Just wondering if the vendors were set back up yet. Thanks!

We had an excellent tour using a local taxi driver, arranged at the taxi area outside the port. He took us to the cable car, went with us and walked around with us. (Waiting for your turn to ride on the cable car is entertaining as well as there was a local band there in the waiting area, playing for tips.) Cesar then took us to Puerta Plato - we drove by the Victorian houses painted in all different colors, then on to the "square" and the church, the Amber Museum, the fort, and to a chocolate factory. We drove by the beach and had the option to have some time there as well. There were only two of us, but the taxi was a nice large van that could hold a larger group.

Thanks so much for this information. Do you know how to get in touch with Cesar? How much did he charge?

For those who have been to Amber Cove--which is better? Should we book a tour ahead of time with an independent tour operator or just wait until we are there & arrange a taxi tour with a local taxi driver just outside the port? We are a group of 4 (may add more) who just want to take the cable car to the top of the mountain followed by a tour of Puerta Plata. I've contacted one tour operator who wanted me to send him $100 deposit but I'm not comfortable with that. Any suggestions from someone who has been there would be VERY appreciated!

He didn't respond to my e-mail either :(

We were in Belize the 1st week of Dec & wanted to see the Howler monkeys. We took a private tour with King David Castillo that included the monkeys. Not only did we see them but they came down out of the trees & ate leaves out of our hands!! Our whole tour was fantastic! Check him out!

https://www.altournativebelizeservices.com/

Haven't been there as it's very new (opened in June or July?) but see if these folks can help.

 

http://www.lomastravel.com/tours/cozumel/kun-che-park.html

 

Not that bad of a price if it includes transportation.

Thanks, crewsweeper. I checked it out but, unfortunately, their website states that transportation is not included :( After searching a little harder I found a tour that does pick you up at the pier. Its cozumeltoursexcursionsdotcom. Anybody have any info or experience with taking a tour through this company?

Does anyone know of a company that does an excursion to Kun Che Park? It looks very interesting but several tour companies have told me that they don't have any tours that go there. I guess we could always go through the ship but we prefer independent tours. Thanks for any info!

We booked a buggy tour online before our cruise, they met us exactly where they said, we walked briefly to their "office" and our tour began, most fantastic day.

 

I would like to add that our cruise itinerary got completely changed, we arrived in Cozumel on an entirely different day and they were most accommodating. No problem with "losing" our money.

Which company did you book with? Thanks!

We also used Dean Chinnery's services a few weeks ago. FANTASTIC!! We've been on a couple of open-air taxi tours in the past & they were fun but we saw so much more with Dean. We were able to go where WE wanted to go & see what WE wanted to see. All of our questions were answered. He gave us a great tour!

Ah, yes....RonJon's...been there a few times so we might have to pass on it this time :) Thanks for the other suggestions. I'm sure we'll find plenty to do!

Capt BJ: We decided to take your advice & have reserved a rental car :)

Capt BJ: Thanks for all of the info. No thank you to the 2 1/2 hour bus ride :eek: !!

Heather: Maybe someone on here has used Uber. Thanks for the suggestion.

So......anybody used Uber in Port Canaveral?

We will be docking at Port Canaveral on a cruise this Spring. My husband & I would like to go to Brevard Zoo for the day. The cruise line has an excursion to the zoo but our time would be limited & we prefer to go on our own. We really don't want to rent a car just to go to the zoo. I read about a public bus that goes within a mile of the zoo but I can't seem to find the information I need about it. Any suggestions? Thanks!

b4 panic sets in ... this happened in Viera, right at exit 191 of I-95

 

that's not near the port . . over 15 miles away . . .

Thanks so much for clarifying that! We're headed that way in a few weeks :eek: !!

Thanks for the info. We've done the cave tubing in Belize before so I was looking for something different---this sounds great. Not sure if we'll go with the ship or on a private tour......

I think you would be selling yourself short if you don't do some kind of excursion in Belize. Others have enjoyed visiting the Mayan ruins, cave tubing or beach days; when I was there I took a river cruise where we saw manatees and all sorts of other wildlife, and then went to the lovely little Belize Zoo (it's really more of a sanctuary for rescued native animals, including a jaguar and monkeys). Otherwise, there really is not a lot to see in the town itself. As far as safety goes, the reports I read on that topic before my trip there were mixed. You can hire a cab quite inexpensively to drive you around town, and you might be more comfortable with that even though the distances are not great. Just as an FYI, DH and her husband did that in Belize, and followed up with a couple of beverages at the Wet Lizard bar on the tender dock; I think they were wishing later that they had accompanied me on my tour. Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy your day in this beautiful small country.

Who did you book your river cruise/zoo excursion with? BTW--your photos are very nice--what type of camera do you use? Thanks!

Snorkel area at Trunk Bay:

We had also been to St Thomas several times so this past April (2015) we decided to visit St John. We walked from the ship (Jewel of the Seas) to the end of the cruise dock where we boarded the ferry to St John. After arriving there we were taken on an island tour and then dropped off at Trunk Bay. We took at taxi back to meet the ferry. It was RCCL's excursion ST08 (St John Ultimate & Nat'l Park Beaches). We wanted to take the local tour since we had never been there and we're glad we did but next time we would just head straight to Trunk Bay.

There was an older gentleman where we stopped who demonstrated numerous spices. He passed them around to all of us & we tasted some of them. His counter was inside a building where they sold all types of extracts, spices, gifts etc. They didn't accept credit cards so one couple in our group was disappointed because they didn't bring much cash. That worked out ok because they bought the same items at the port. There is a beautiful view from the back side of the building. Also there is a woman (or 2) outside the front of the building offering to have her picture taken with you for $1. She was not pushy (very friendly) & Eddie took a picture with our camera--nice memory for only $1 :)

We took their Best of Nature Tour in April 2015. They did an excellent job! Eddie's son was our guide & he was wonderful. This is what their vans look like:

If you have a minimum of 4 people you should be able to arrange a private tour that could include Phantasea for an additional fee for admission.

Who do you recommend? Contact info?

Thanks!