Did You Go on Your Own (Western Carribean) in Port?

[TPFilm]

So... have you? If so... tell me/us about it. What did you do? How did you plan it? Did you enjoy it/regret it? What did you pay to do it (if you don't mind.) Would you do it again? Why?

 

Specific questions:

 

1) Anyone ever rent from Pay Less? (Cozumel, MEX exclusive question)

2) Anyone rent from any local Cozumel rental car place? If so, who?

3) What are some of the non-cruise line things you have done in Cozumel? Belize? Costa Maya? Grand Caymen?

[K.T.B.]

To be honest, I would not rent any vehicle while in Cozumel. The drivers are crazy down there! :eek:

 

As for going off on your own, my wife and I always do while in Cozumel. (Listen to me, 3 trips there and I'm saying "always". ;) ) We have always done the mini-golf while there, then Las Palmeras for lunch, then wandering and "shopping". We've never regretted a moment of it, nor have we felt like we missed doing anything. Though the first trip there we did do the glass bottom boat excursion, which took about 90 minutes. Usually, we just explore and enjoy. :)

[TPFilm]

We rented a Geo Tracker the last time we were there (a few years ago.) Had a blast. The drivers there were no worse than the tourists and college kids here in Wilmington, NC!!

[cottagemama]

Hi TPFilm

 

We were in Cozumel last April and we rented the cutest little red Bug within walking distance from the pier.Can't remember the name of the rental agency It had metal bars instead of doors with only one gear ahead and reverse. It cost us $77 including tax & insurance. We drove around the island and stopped at a couple beaches then stopped in the main town for shopping. I didn't find that much traffic or congestion. No problem for us and we are not city drivers. Hope this helps. In Grand Cayman my DH went golfing & I went shopping.

Cottagemama

[sugar n spice]

Our first cruise was last year, Western Carribean on the Glory. Our itinerary was:

 

Costa Maya

Belize City

Cozumel

Progreso

 

My DH and I knew we wanted to see the "real" places, meet the people there and get a feel for the country so we opted not to do many excursions.

 

We went out on our own on all except Progreso where we booked an excursion to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza.

 

At Costa Maya, we rented a cab and went to Majahual which is a little fishing village about 10 minutes, by cab, from the Costa Maya port. We walked around, shopped, I had a margarita. We visited with the local people. A wonderful little village with wonderful people which I'd like to visit again.

 

In Belize, we had to be tendered in and after we got off the tender, there were lots of people trying to get us to take their tour, buy their items, etc. but we walked on into town. At the first intersection, we were approached by a "not too savory looking" man who wanted us to let him be our guide. Having just come through so many people approaching us, we just said, "no" right off the bat and didn't listen to the rest of what he had to say. He tried to give us some directions but when we got to where he said to go, it didn't look very safe so we went the other way. Other cruisers were doing the same. We were between 7 & 12 blocks from the first intersection when someone behind us said something to us. We turned around and it was this guy who had wanted to be our guide. We were both very uncomfortable because by now, we were well into the city and hardly any other tourists around. My DH moved between me and this man and neither of us had alot to say. My DH did the talking. After a while, we could sense and see that this man meant us no harm. He was kin to some of the policemen and guards. He continued to walk with us telling us about the city's history. He showed us the oldest church in Belize City. He knew the people in the church and we were allowed to go in and take whatever pictures we wanted, walk around the different areas of the church and stay as long as we liked. He told us the history of the church. Then we went back into the main part of town and down a side street that looked much like a large alley. The houses were a blend of nice to run down. People were going about their daily routine or caring for their lawns, houses, children, etc.. We walked back by the seaside and around to the court house. He offered to take us into the courthouse where court but we

declined. He then took us by one of the schools where he explained about their school system and the problems with trying to get children to go to school and stay in school. He told us how children were handled if they were caught skipping school and how each school had their own uniform styles so that you could tell which school the child attended just by seeing their uniform. Then he showed us where the American embassy was just in case we wanted to know. He then took us to the Belize Museum and told us the history of that building on the way there. The museum was closed but since his uncle was one of the guards, we were allowed to go in. The secretary was there and we paid the museums small entry fee and were allowed to tour the entire building on our own. We were the only 2 people in the museum other than the workers. They told us to take our time and be sure to tour the upper floor (sometimes overlooked by tourists) and if we had any questions or needed any help, just ask. It was when we were ready to tour the museum that the "guide" told us he needed to go get his children from school and asked for a small fee for his service. My DH paid him far better than he asked and he was very pleased. The other men at the museum scolded him for taking that much but he was all smiles. We were happy to give it to him because we received a much better tour than that of others on our cruise who had booked a city tour. Of course, after he got his money, he was gone. We didn't see him again. Before he left, he had shown us the way back to the pier though so we weren't surprised when he didn't come back. All in all though, he was a good guide and a nice man to us. We walked to the ocean side and stopped to watch some men re-thatching a roof and to take some pictures. They thought we were funny for being so interested in the process. We were fascinated because we had never seen it done. They were happy to let us take their pictures though and we chatted as well as could be done since we didnt' speak their language and only a couple of them spoke broken english. When we got back to the pier, we walked around looking at the merchandise in the shops, had a cool drink and cooled off a little. It was hot in Belize City that day. When the tenders were ready for us, we went back to the ship. If I were to go back to Belize City, I would probably book an excursion next time around. We enjoyed the walking tour but now that I've seen it, I'd opt to do something different. I wouldn't necessarily recommend walking through Belize City like we did. It might not be the safest thing to do but we were blessed.

 

In Cozumel, we took a taxi into town and shopped. That is where I did most of my shopping. We walked, looked, talked to people. We walked down to the town square which I really liked. We also went several blocks into the city to see if there were better deals off the beaten path. There were but the variety didn't seem to be there. That or we just didn't go to the right shops. We walked back to the stores on the main street closest to the ships, finished our shopping and took a taxi to Paradise Beach. Paradise Beach was so nice. It was nicely landscaped and very clean. We got chairs right at the beachfront and right in front of the building where the showers, restrooms, gift shop and bar were. The cabana boys came out and took our order. The food was excellent, as were the drinks, and I was surprised at how reasonably priced it was. We didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked since we had to get back to the ship for departure. PB Tom was out front helping the guests get taxis back to port.

 

Sorry this is so long.

[lil nemo]

Our first cruise was last year, Western Carribean on the Glory.

a "not too savory looking" man who wanted us to let him be our guide. Having just come through so many people approaching us, we just said, "no" right off the bat and didn't listen to the rest of what he had to say. He tried to give us some directions but when we got to where he said to go, it didn't look very safe so we went the other way. Other cruisers were doing the same. We were between 7 & 12 blocks from the first intersection when someone behind"

 

I just would sooooooooooooo not reccommend doing this in Belize!!

This is the "only" port that has made me feel very unsafe in.

[lil nemo]

So... have you? If so... tell me/us about it. What did you do? How did you plan it? Did you enjoy it/regret it? What did you pay to do it (if you don't mind.) Would you do it again? Why?

 

Specific questions:

 

1) Anyone ever rent from Pay Less? (Cozumel, MEX exclusive question)

2) Anyone rent from any local Cozumel rental car place? If so, who?

3) What are some of the non-cruise line things you have done in Cozumel? Belize? Costa Maya? Grand Caymen?

 

We have rented cars in near all the ports we have been in. we love to be on our own this way. we also like the private cab tours, but, you have to be very selective on who you let take you out and about and be specific in what you want to see.

We have rented cars in cozumel, made a mistake 1 time and reserved a car at the wrong pier, it was a nightmare. The driving is a little stressful in town but, once you hit the open road the worst thing you have to look for is objects in the road!! Like tree trunks, logs, cement blocks, huge rocks, etc. they were placed there by roadcrews to mark pot holes and such for repairs on the roads.... it was the craziest thing we ever saw!

when you get off the pier in many ports they will have cars for rent availble right at your pier, you can negiote price and also time to be returned. (we just learn this on our previous cruise)

Cozumel is an easy directional island to tour. a road cirlces around the outside of the island next to the coast. which is a beautiful drive.

I felt it was safe also. didn't feel like we were going to be car jacked or anything like it.

[Cotton]

......3) What are some of the non-cruise line things you have done in Cozumel?

 

I have not done a cruiseship excursion since my first cruise in 1987. Much less expensive to go 'on your own' as you are planning to do.;)

 

On Cozumel, I always grab one of the many cabs at the port, and go wherever. I particularly like going to Chankanaab Park. Great snorkeling, can watch dolphins perform, lots to do there, good food and drinks. Also - going into San Miguel (the town) can be interesting. I don't shop a lot, but I enjoy sitting around the Plaza del Sol (town square, so to speak), watching the locals sing and dance, while I sip on a nice cool margarita!

 

You might want to visit the ports-of-call board and check out each of the ports on your itinerary. (Go to the top, click on 'message boards', and go to "ports-of-call".) TONS of info on each port there.

[Disneycruiser#1]

Belize-Coral Breezes Limited (.com) private snorkel (can also dives) excursion. Excellant and would do it again. Tender in and meet up at the port. Owned by a few Americans guys who made some money in finance and moved down there.

 

Cozumel-Eagle Ray Divers private snorkel (can dive) excursion. We haev used Eagle Ray about 5 times now on cruises or land vacations. Excellant prices, small groups (max is 6 or 8 people), captain and also a guide who always speaks good English.

 

or get off the ship and take a taxi to Chakanab National Park, we have been about 10 times, pay entrance fee (they have a website was around $10), good snorkeling (can rent snorkel equipment), tons of chairs, shade, umbrellas and a restraurant. My siser LOVES Del Sol, grab a cab and go there, no entrance fee.

 

Grand Cayman-If you want to swim with the rays we have gone with Nativeway Watersports, highly recommend them, new boats, small groups, I believe it was around $25 per person and I hear Captain Mervyn's and Captain Bryan's are good as well. Smaller groups on the private excursions are great bc you do not have a double deck boat with someone on the CCL excursion of 100 people jumping on your head (lol).

 

Also tender in, grab a cab and head to Seven Mile Beach. Small charge for beach chairs. We have done this a lot too.

 

Costa Maya-went through Carnival and had a beach day somewhere. Was fun, bus ride had AC, beach chairs and shade, restaurant, water ok, snorkeling ok, bus ride typical Mexico driving (scary) but a nice day. Costa Maya also has been built up so lots of shopping and a very small beach area.

 

Have fun!

 

DC

[TPFilm]

Just found the ports of call board, been lurking there and researching. I just like to see what everyone else did!

 

Mostly I want to hear about cruiser's adventures in Belize and Costa Maya (anyone have pics of RCL's mishap?)

 

(Plus, I want to see how many replies I can get on this thread.)

 

I wanna be a three page thread!!!!

[MamaMicki]

Hello, When we go to Cozumel, We usually rent a car from Avis for about $35 for the day. We then head to Chakanuba state park. It is really cool. Costa Maya is my favorite!! take the bus or taxi to Mahjual. It costs $5 round trip. I call it "rustic". No running water, no atm's or credit cards. Bring cash. a beer costs a buck or 2 and you can get an hour massage for $25 (tip included).You can do an hour and half snorkel for $15. Wait until you get off the ship and exit the main area of the port. Go out by the taxi stand. That's where you can get the deals on snorkeling and stuff.

 

Grand Caymen you can walk down the street about a block on your left there is a scuba/snorkel shop. You can get in the water and look at the "ship wreck" that a lot of the cruise ships try and sell for $25-40. It's right there in the harbor. Just bring your own gear. They have a shower and everything. Well, I hope this helped. Take Care!!

[sugar n spice]

[quote name=lil nemo

I just would sooooooooooooo not reccommend doing this in Belize!!

This is the "only" port that has made me feel very unsafe in.[/quote]

 

That is why I wrote the last two sentences of the section on Belize City.

 

I had not heard that going into Belize City as we did was dangerous but it was soon evident that there was a feeling of caution to my senses even though most people were friendly. So again, I state that I would not recommend it and if we are ever there again, we will do an excursion.

[TPFilm]

Thanks ya'll... Keep telling me more and more. Costa Maya and Belize: have never been there. Cozumel: been there, have great ideas to make it more fun! Grand Caymen: Never been but looks like we will do one of the private excursions to Stingray City. I like the idea of going with only 10-20 people instead of hundreds!

 

I am still curious about wether anyone has had experience with Pay Less? I know about Executive (used them before) and of course Avis (who hasn't heard of Avis?!?) I want to hear about the local companies... How they were... Also, what did you do after you rented your car/Jeep?

[Tmeister]

We just did the snorkel/stingray tour with Coral Breeze in Belize, and can recommend it highly. On one stop in Costa Maya, we did an independent tour to Mayan ruins about 1 hour away. The driver spoke not a word of English, so the ride was uninteresting, and we had to hire a guide at the ruins, which was worth it. The second time we were there, we never left the shopping area at the pier. We were ready for a "laid back" day, so we just sat on the beach, had some drinks and lunch and swam in the pool with the swim-up bar. No great excitement, but we're still talking 2 years later about the good time we had that day! Next time we'll have to try Majahual. In Cozumel, we always head to the beach by cab, several times to San Francisco beach and most recently to Paradise Beach. SF is more rustic, PB more like a resort, but both were free access and drinks were reasonable. On PB the use of chairs and umbrellas is free if you buy a drink or food.

[PACURN]

In Belize you have to go cave tubing. It was sooooooo fuuuunnn. I have also heard that Caye Caulker is great for snorkeling. I will be trying that on my next trip there.

In Costa Maya, go to Mahahual. It's a wonderful lazy little beach where you can eat drink and hang out. We took the kids there and spent a wonderful day. We ate fish ( something with teeth in it's mouth) and it was the best I hav ever had. We also ordered civiche and lobster. The fish was the best. We found a beach chair and a waiter served us right on the beach. It was great.

We had a great time, one of our best.

Have a great trip

[chieft26]

Very rarely do we book excursions. We've lived pretty much all over the world (courtesy of Uncle Sam) and are adventurous for the most part. We also go through the maze of tour guides and others at each port, then make a deal with a taxi on our own for a certain number of hours. We have them act as our tour guide and have seen a lot of things off the beaten path that aren't normally included on the tours. We've never been robbed or led down the "yellow brick road", but have had great times in all the ports. We usually do our homework ahead of time on each place so that we have an idea of some of the things we want to see. Since we live at the beach at home, that's usually not one of our highlights and we'll go see something else of interest.

[cjar855]

This is a good site to book excursions on your own..

 

www.portpromotions.com

[NJCONVCRS]

With the amount of information now available on the internet, with sites like cruisecritic, you should be booking your excrursions yourself. When we went Western Caribbean 2 years ago on the Triumph, we did everything ourselves. In Grand Cayman, we used Soto's for the Stingray City trip. Back then it was $19pp, now I see it is $30. They picked us up 2 blocks from the pier, we snorkled in 2 places and then went to the Sandbar. The crew was great, and we had an awsome time. After the trip, we had the option of being dropped off on 7 mile beach, or back at the pier. All included in the price. I highly recommend them. I have friends that used Nativeway, and they loved them also. On the ship, the cheapest excursion to Stingray City was $49, now I'm sure it is more.

 

In Ocho Rios, we walked to the end of the pier, found a taxi, red license plates only as they are licensed, and he took us to Dunns River. We scheduled a time for him to pick us up and then he took us to the straw market/shopping area. We paid him at the end, when he returned us to the pier. No problems there, and we saved a bundle from the ships price.

 

In Cozumel, we researched all of the beaches using sites like cozumelinsider and we settled on Mr. Sanchos. We spent the day at the beach, the kids played on the water trampoline and we enjoyed some cerveza. The taxi prices are posted, and there are plenty waiting when you are ready to return. In the evening, we went into town.

 

Any excursion that the ship offers is also offered by private companies. Some times, it is the same company. When you get off the ship, there will be people selling the same excursions at half the price. Be smart, do a little research and save yourself a bundle.

 

By the way, we are booked on the Victory for the Western this November and will be booking our own excursions again.

[staylor]

Cozumel- Chankanaab, for sure

 

Belize- Coral Breeze's Shark/Ray Alley and Coral Gardens Tour....awesome...great time, great staff, great lunch....

 

Grand Cayman- Seven Mile Beach...go to the Hyatt

[lil nemo]

quoted from"njconvcrs" you should be booking your excrursions yourself. "

 

 

the only drawback here would be that many oc the independent tours would charge you whether you made it to the port or not, we found that very few would give refunds, :(

and as of late ports are getting all screwed up the lines, so if there was a tour offered by the ship, even if it were a little bit more I'd book through the cruise lines. something like tubing or diving, etc. if you don't stop at the port or are delayed the cruise line will credit your account no problem.

[TPFilm]

 

 

Any excursion that the ship offers is also offered by private companies. Some times, it is the same company. When you get off the ship, there will be people selling the same excursions at half the price. Be smart, do a little research and save yourself a bundle.

 

 

I had noticed that, too. You have to pay for the "luxury" of going through the cruise line - the luxury being crowded like sardines, herded like cattle, treated like pigs... hmmm... getting hungry now!)

[staylor]

When we did the stringray/shark thing in Belize there were 8 of us, 2 tour guides and 1 captain....it was very up close and personal.....when I saw the video in the cabin of the passengers at Stingray City in Grand Cayman....there were hundreds of people and it looked like chaos......I was SO GLAD we booked on own own. We touched sharks and got to hold the stingrays......I wonder if everyone on the ships tour got to do the same.......probably not.....

 

Also, on the independent tours we did....in Roatan we paid when we got there....no down payment at all......in Belize..it was $25 down....the remainder due when we met them.....Very reasonable.......And we also noticed that the tour companies seemed to be more concerned with the time than we were...their reputation is on the line, after all....

[NJCONVCRS]

lil nemo - Before I booked with Soto's, I reserached that very problem. Most of the operators do not charge you if uou don't make it beacuase the ship wasn't in port. In fact, many do not require payment until you arrive. These people depend on word of mouth. Check out the Ports of Call Boars and you will find a wealth of person experience to base your decision of who you can trust and who you can't. The cruise line will tell you about how dangerous the island is, or how these independent operators might be using inferior equipment. That is a load of ****. They just want you to book with them. As I said in my original reply, there is a ton of information out there, a little research can have a big payoff.

[michellem]

njconvcrs,

 

How much did they charge for the taxi in ocho rios. I want to go to the falls and be dropped off at margaritiville.

Is this safe?

michele

[NJCONVCRS]

michelle - It was almost 2 years ago so I don't remember. Jamaica is safe, if you stay in the normal tourist areas. If wasn't, do you think these cruiselines would be bringing 3,000 people a day. The Jamaicans are just pushier than what most Americans would like. Just say no, and keep saying no. They're just trying to make a buck.