Best independent tour in Grand Cayman & Cozumel ???

Hi, the wife and I are planning on doing the 5 night Western Carribbean on the Carnival Paradise that sails out of Tampa on November 26,2012 and were wondering what are the best independant tours available in out 2 ports of call? The 2 ports are George town Grand Cayman island, and Cozumel Mexico.

Hi, the wife and I are planning on doing the 5 night Western Carribbean on the Carnival Paradise that sails out of Tampa on November 26,2012 and were wondering what are the best independant tours available in out 2 ports of call? The 2 ports are George town Grand Cayman island, and Cozumel Mexico.

I have sailed to GC 3 times and always booked with Nativeway they offer a variety of tours, if you check the port of call boards you will find many positive reviews.

I have sailed to GC 3 times and always booked with Nativeway they offer a variety of tours, if you check the port of call boards you will find many positive reviews.

Same here we did the Stingray/Rum Point excursion with lunch and had a blast there were only 8 of us on the boat compared to the HUGE lot of people on other boats. Really they do a great job

Sorry I forgot to post about Cozumel.

We have gone to Chakkanaab park there is really something there for everyone, snorkeling, dolphins, snuba diving, restaurant, nature walks, pools etc. the park is kept up very nicely clean, safe.

Thanks guys!! I've reviewed those suggestions and they both look wonderful!! Also looking at Moby Dick tours on the cayman islands, have you heard anything about them, good or bad???

Thanks guys!! I've reviewed those suggestions and they both look wonderful!! Also looking at Moby Dick tours on the cayman islands, have you heard anything about them, good or bad???

We've used both Nativeway and Moby Dick for snorkeling and Sting Ray City. I would give the edge to Moby Dick...connected with the people a little better...but Nativeway was fine, too. I highly recommend the sting rays...it is one of those once in a lifetime experiences.

We also went to Chankanaab and there is alot to do there...really enjoyed it. The down side is that there is no sandy bottom swimming beach...they have steps down into the water, but it's coral (good for snorkeling;)) It's reasonable to get in, a quick cab ride, food is good, and they have a pool with swim-up bar.

Nachi Cocum is a very nice all-inclusive which is a little further down the road...very nice...good drinks and food, hot tub, pool with swim up bar, nice beach. You need to reserve it in advance and they only allow 100 people per day so it's not crowded.

Or for some fun, you might like the Cozumel Bar Hop bus which takes you to 4 beach bars on the Eastern side of the island. You get to see alot on the way, and that side of the island is much less developed and the beaches are beautiful...very rugged. The tour guides are great!

If you go to the Ports of Call Section of these boards and then look at your 2 ports, you may find other ideas you like better. Have fun:)

We also did moby dicks tours .The stingrays are good once then gets boring.We take a taxi to calico jacks bar and restaurant(moby dicks will drop you off there).Great beach ,clean restrooms nice little dive bar.In Cozumel we do Nachi Cocum google it or search on here

The best independent tour on Coz by far is the Cozumel Bar Hop Tour

:)

Nachi Cocum hands down. Loved it! Private beach. Parasailing. Great food. Great drinks. Good service. Relaxing.

Nachi Cocum hands down. Loved it! Private beach. Parasailing. Great food. Great drinks. Good service. Relaxing.

but it's not a tour of the island. It's an AI and books up quickly. Bar Hop is best tour of island. Second is hire a driver and go on your own. There's a good thread on hiriing a driver on the Cozumel Board.

We did the snorkeling/sting ray city adventure with Moby Dick and HIGHLY recommend it. There were only 13 of us on their boat compared to 60+ on the cruise ship excursions. I've attached some snorkeling photos as well as my YouTube video of the sting ray encounter. One of the Moby Dick deck hands even coaxes a 5 foot morey eel out from under his rock and feeds him 5 or 6 times. Seeing this happen a few feet in front of you is magical. One of the neatest things I've ever done.

Video:

Captain Marvin's half day in Cayman. Have never done anything else while in GC, will continue to do this in the future

Chankanaab is great in Cozumel if you want to do dolphins/sea lions/manatees. However, I would choose Mr. Sancho's (all inclusive) or Paradise Beach (water activities wristband) over Chankanaab if just wanting to do a beach day.

Another vote for Moby Dick in GC.

Another vote for Moby Dick with one caveat...we were there December 2010, and the equivalent to the Coast Guard had closed down the side of the island where you go out to the sting rays and snorkel. Apparently one of the guys from Moby Dick had been at the port to tell everyone the excursion was cancelled, but he didn't wait for everyone who had reservations, so several of us were just standing there (under the Moby Dick sign) trying to figure out what was going on (at our meeting time - we weren't late). We never saw anyone from Moby Dick again and ended up going with another tour company we had no information about (once they opened the excursions again). It ended up being fine, but it definitely wasn't the personal experience you get with Moby Dick. I would still definitely recommend Moby Dick (you don't have to pay until you get there), but have a back up plan just in case! You can pretty much reserve any of the private excursions once you get there, and if you have a couple of names as backup, you will be good to go.

In Cozumel we paid the AI and went to Playa Uvas in Chankaanab Park. It was a very relaxing day that also included snorkeling, use of a kayak, lunch, drinks, and use of the club. I believe they also had seaside massages there for an extra charge. I am going back to Cozumel in April and will probably book this place again.

We are booked with Moby Dick for the second time ...this March ... We went in May 2007 great tour and the price is riight ...

D

Thanks so much everyone for your input! We have decided on Moby Dick's Stingray City tour in the Cayman Island, but for Cozumel we are really leaning towards the swim with dolphins at Chankanaab with a company called Swim with Dolphins Cozumel. Has anyone heard of or used this company?

Hi, We have been to Cozumel quite a few times, Nachi Cocomb is nice, we booked through Island marketing, but we found out you can show up and pay the same price. However , we did Passion Island by catamaran last time through Carnival, it was a 45 minute nice boat ride, and beautiful private island beach. We are doing this again in March from the Mariner....Enjoy your cruise

:d

the best independent tour on coz by far is the cozumel bar hop tour

 

:)

cozumel bar hop !!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much everyone for your input! We have decided on Moby Dick's Stingray City tour in the Cayman Island, but for Cozumel we are really leaning towards the swim with dolphins at Chankanaab with a company called Swim with Dolphins Cozumel. Has anyone heard of or used this company?

Dolphinaris is another potential for Cozumel then.

It is a fabulous experience!

We did the snorkeling/sting ray city adventure with Moby Dick and HIGHLY recommend it. There were only 13 of us on their boat compared to 60+ on the cruise ship excursions. I've attached some snorkeling photos as well as my YouTube video of the sting ray encounter. One of the Moby Dick deck hands even coaxes a 5 foot morey eel out from under his rock and feeds him 5 or 6 times. Seeing this happen a few feet in front of you is magical. One of the neatest things I've ever done.

 

Video:

Thanks very much for sharing this video and these pictures, they helped seal the deal for us and go with the Moby Dick tour.