Free beaches on my itinerary?

This is the first time I booked a cruise. I was excited to see the beautiful beaches of the caribbeans, but after booking the cruise I found out that many beaches costs a lot of extra money!

Before I go bananas, can you help me understand if I'll be able to have the great caribbean expereince with a short walk/taxi without paying so much to enjoy the beach?

My ports of call are - Labedee, Falmouth and Cozumel

Thank you

Labadee is a the ship's private beach....no charges, unless it's for booze, sodas or watersport rentals....or cabanas. Loungers are free and lunch is served on the beach.

Falmouth is a port created for the ships...you may want an excursion there, as there is nothing close by....although there are taxis.....but you really should research Jamaica before you get there.

Coz is pretty easy to DIY....again....google it, or pick up a guidebook at your library. Seldom is an excursion needed in the Caribbean!

Cozumel I'd spend the $50/pp and go to Mr. Sancho's and enjoy their beach. The money is for the all inclusive. All you can eat/drink. Enjoy!

(BTW TripAdvisor and these forums are your best bet. Keep the dust on the book.)

Labadee is all beach. It is a location in Haiti created by Royal Caribbean as their beach day. Totally free including ship's luncheon served there, plus drink packages work. Unless you pay for things like jet ski excursions, water park, zip line, etc., you don't need to do anything other than relax on the beach. Loungers are included, but it's normal to tip the locals who set them up for you. You pretty much walk off the ship on to the beach.

Falmouth is a man made port in Jamaica. You might want to check the ports of call board for more information.

Cozumel - again plenty to do but check the ports of call board. Be careful if you book excursions that involve traveling to mainland (Cozumel is an island).

All of those places have free beaches. The only thing that you will have to pay is for transportation to the beach.

Labadee is your most conveniet "free beach".

The ship takes you directly there.

Enjoy! :D

Good advice already given; will add that we loved Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and have been there twice. The rate was (and looks like it still is) $55.00 per person and that includes all drinks and the most delicious food! You make a reservation and do try and get there early for a palapa close by. A waiter will tend to you for the day and it is wonderful. Tip to him, and the cab was $20.00 USD each way. Obviously not a free beach day, but absolutely glorious and NO vendors because they are private.

Have fun.

I am not a beach person but I love Labadee .Feel free to explore the entire island.

I am not a beach person but I love Labadee .Feel free to explore the entire island.

Labadee is not an island. It is an area on the northern shores of Haiti. Royal Caribbean leases the area. You are not allowed to explore the entire island of Haiti. You are restricted to the beach area and surrounding area such as the flea markets, water area, etc.

Free beaches exist just about everywhere in the Caribbean. The cost comes when you decide to go to a private beach club and pay the price to rent chairs and umbrellas not to mention buying food, drink and souvenirs. In Cozumel you can certainly go out to parts of 7 mile beach, spread your towel and spend nothing.

My simple message to any cruiser is that you are making a "choice" when you book expensive excursions or choose to go to expensive private beach places.

Hank

Labadee is not an island. It is an area on the northern shores of Haiti. Royal Caribbean leases the area. You are not allowed to explore the entire island of Haiti. You are restricted to the beach area and surrounding area such as the flea markets, water area, etc.

Yes, I'm sure that is what he meant. :D

We love Punta Morena on the eastcost of Cozumel. It's free but they expect you to eat and drink in their resturant. The negative thing is that's a long cab ride from the port.

In Cozumel you can certainly go out to parts of 7 mile beach, spread your towel and spend nothing.

 

Hank

7 mile beach? Are you thinking of Grand Cayman?

Cozumel: PARADISE BEACH $3 entry fee. Quick 7 minute taxi ride. Google it. You will love it. There is even an enormous pool on the beach.

Cozumel: PARADISE BEACH $3 entry fee. Quick 7 minute taxi ride. Google it. You will love it. There is even an enormous pool on the beach.

We won't go back there, there's far better beaches on Cozumel.

We won't go back there, there's far better beaches on Cozumel.

Please elaborate

Please elaborate

Everyone has an opinion. I don't know why she won't go back and hopefully she will explain. Paradise Beach is great. I hope you google it. It is a favorite of tons of people, or it would not be one of the most popular spots. Form your own opinion please and do a little research ....Trip Advisor is a good place to start.

This is the first time I booked a cruise. I was excited to see the beautiful beaches of the caribbeans, but after booking the cruise I found out that many beaches costs a lot of extra money!

Before I go bananas, can you help me understand if I'll be able to have the great caribbean expereince with a short walk/taxi without paying so much to enjoy the beach?

My ports of call are - Labedee, Falmouth and Cozumel

 

Thank you

Paying too much? I do recommend Nachi Cocum in Cozumel with the food and drink it was well worth it. Plenty of free beach in Labadee.

We love Punta Morena on the eastcost of Cozumel. It's free but they expect you to eat and drink in their resturant. The negative thing is that's a long cab ride from the port.

 

 

7 mile beach? Are you thinking of Grand Cayman?

Yep. The situation is not much different on Cozumel. One can simply go to Palancar or Corona or Paradise while on Cozumel. No, its not free to take a taxi and rent chairs. On the other hand one can share a taxi and just toss a towel down on the sand if one is that desperate to save a few dollars (or Pesos). My point was that many cruisers feel their only option is to book an overpriced "excursion" to a beach. My advice is do your homework and price out going to the same (or comparable) beach and rent your own chairs....versus paying the cruise line. Sometimes you can actually get a decent deal on a beach excursion, but most times you are paying a big premium for booking through the cruise line. Getting back to the port is not generally an issue on any Caribbean (or near Caribbean) island as there are always taxis and sometimes even less costly local public transportation.

Hank

In Cozumel we almost always rent a car in port (approx $80 for smaller car) and drive around the island stopping at various beaches.

In Falmouth there is a decent beach in MoBay where you pay entrance fee, but loungers are included

In Cozumel we almost always rent a car in port (approx $80 for smaller car) and drive around the island stopping at various beaches.

 

In Falmouth there is a decent beach in MoBay where you pay entrance fee, but loungers are included

I am a very adventurous traveler and have done my own thing for about 50 years of International travel including renting cars all over the world. However, I do not like to rent cars anywhere in Mexico...and I say this as somebody who lives in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta) about 2 1/2 months a year. So, why don't I like to rent in Mexico? This country adheres to the Napoleonic Code which, to some extent, means you are considered guilty into proven innocent. If you have an accident in Mexico the Police might take you to jail and hold you until they can work out the situation, damages, etc. Meanwhile, your ship will sail. There can be other issues with Mexican Police where one might feel its necessary to pay an on-the-spot bribe (which has its own risks) as an alternative to going to jail. My point is that justice in Mexico is unto its own and a cruiser has the huge disadvantage of needing to get back to the ship. And you better believe that the Mexican Police are well aware of this fact and are in a terrific position to take advantage.

Living in Mexico is somewhat different since we have the luxury of time to deal with their legal system. We actually met a guy in Puerto Vallarta that decided to fight back against the Police who kept stopping him (near his home) expecting a bribe. So one day he refused to pay the bribe and they took his drivers license (this is normal). He later went to magistrate to retrieve his license and filed charges against the two cops. It took him nearly a year and two court dates...but he actually won when the Mexican Judge just smiled and said that if he was willing to go through all those court and legal hassles over a small fine...he must be an honest man. The two Police were transferred :).

Hank

Cozumel isn't a real Mexico. It's very safe and route is very easy to drive. Most drivers outside of the city are tourists like us, some are in buggies.

It's a nice experience, much more interesting than spending a day on the same beach.

Love wavy Punta Sur and uncrowded wild side beaches or even driving along the coast.

Anyways we've done this 6 or 7 times now without a slight problem. Of course we always carefully watch time so never late.

Please elaborate

Very crowded and not a beach that gives you a WOW feeling.

Everyone has an opinion. I don't know why she won't go back and hopefully she will explain.

She?

Very crowded and not a beach that gives you a WOW feeling.

 

 

She?

Mea Culpa. Just saw that you are not from America (where Kim is a female name).