Carnival cruise key west and Cozumel

[ana.liza.92]

Hi travelers,

 

Me and my girlfriends with our kids (ages 2-15) total 8 in our group are going on a carnival cruise to Key West and Cozumel for the first time. I need suggestions please as to excursions we can do with the age group that we have. In Key West (7:30- 4:00 PM) we are thinking of doing the conch tour, any suggestion of a cheap and reliable tour guide? We also want to just lay on the beach and let the kids play and swim, we don't like to party and we don't like crowded places. Any suggestions of a kid friendly beach(free) that we can have lunch by the beach in Key West? We are also up to any other suggestions you may have for activities (6-7 hrs.)

 

We also would like to explore Cozumel, our ship docks at 1:30 PM-10 PM. We like to try the Tulum mayan ruins and explore the beach below it. Are there any souvenir shops near the Tulum ruins? Are they expensive? We are thinking of renting a Van and a driver ($250 for 6 hrs. for a *party of 8) to take us to Tulum and any nearby beach to swim and have dinner, is that a reasonable price? My other concerns are that we will start in the afternoon and not sure how late Tulum is open and if we have enough time to get there and do some sightseeing and swimming and shopping. Is there any other activities we can do at night that is ideal for the kids? We also would like to try great authentic Mexican cuisine preferably seafood. We like the mom and pop restaurant vibe by the beach and do not care for 5 star treatment.

 

Also, I have heard that there are a lot of taxi or tour guides in the pier where Carnival docks or by the ferry terminal at Cozumel or Playa Del Carmen that will offer you their services at a much cheaper price than the ones advertised in the internet and we have someone in our party that speaks Spanish but I don't know if this is true and safe. Would anyone recommend that we try that instead?

 

I apologize for asking too much questions and any suggestions will be much appreciated.

 

Thank You,

Ana[emoji3]

[Marie51]

Look here:

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/

 

Paradise beach is a nice place to go if you decide to have a beach day. I did not care for the ruins when I went....hot and boring but many people like it.

 

For Key West look at

http://www.trolleytours.com/key west

[TEMAY]

Look here:

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com/

 

Paradise beach is a nice place to go if you decide to have a beach day. I did not care for the ruins when I went....hot and boring but many people like it.

 

For Key West look at

www.trolleytours.com/key west

 

This may sound like a silly question but can you go into the pool also at Paradise Beach and does anyone know if you can only go if you book an excursion to there ?? Thanks :)

[Marie51]

This may sound like a silly question but can you go into the pool also at Paradise Beach and does anyone know if you can only go if you book an excursion to there ?? Thanks :)

 

We just got a cab when we got off the ship and went to Paradise beach. No excursion necessary. There is a line of cabs there to take you back to the ship whenever you are ready.

 

There is a fee of $3/pp which covers lounge chairs, umbrellas, pool, wifi. They have drinks & food for purchase. It does say on their website that you are expected to pay $10 in food/drinks per person while there.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Marie51

[TEMAY]

We just got a cab when we got off the ship and went to Paradise beach. No excursion necessary. There is a line of cabs there to take you back to the ship whenever you are ready.

 

There is a fee of $3/pp which covers lounge chairs, umbrellas, pool, wifi. They have drinks & food for purchase. It does say on their website that you are expected to pay $10 in food/drinks per person while there.

Thank you so much for your information . It is much appreciated :) So nice to have a site that newbies can get such helpful info from more experienced cruisers :)

Edited July 10, 2014 by TEMAY

[Krissica]

My husband and I went on the same itinerary for our first cruise ever, granted it was without kids, and we absolutely loved it. Key West is so beautiful no matter what you do, although I heard Key West is not the ideal place to go if you want to have a typical "beach day."

 

As far as going through a non-carnival excursion, there are many that do it and have never had any problems. Yes they tend to be cheaper, and if you do enough research they are safe as well. You just have to use common sense, and do your homework. For example we found an excursion we wanted to do in Jamaica through the carnival website, then used this site to find good experiences and reviews with non-carnival companies and did it through them for 50% cheaper than what carnival charged.

[dorisis]

In Key West the best way to get an overall view is on the Conch Train.It will go past most of the main attractions and if you go early you can then decide which of them you want to see. The town area of Key West is very walkable.Most of the attractions are very close to or on Duval street.

[griffy116]

Key West is where my Grandson was born when my son-in-law was stationed there in the Navy. We've visited it both then and when we've gone on cruises. It's like no other town and your group will LOVE it. As for a beach, Key West would not be the place to go to the beach. The beaches are man-made in Key Wests. Most people are extremely disappointed in the beaches there. The Conch train is a great idea. You don't need a guide or special tour for Key West and there are tons of things to do and see. The Conch Train will take you around and you'll see many of the attractions and you can then decide what you want to see. It's an easy place to get around. Check out the boards for Key West for specifics.

 

Save the beach day for Cozumel. There are incredible beaches you can reach with an inexpensive cab ride and a few bucks for loungers. The ruins are VERY hot, but lots of people love it. Go to the boards and check out the favorite spots in Cozumel. Enjoy your cruise!

[ana.liza.92]

Thanks so much for all your suggestions, I will keep them in mind. We did cancel our tulum trip coz we arrive in Cozumel in the afternoon therefore not enough time for tulum.

 

In key west we will definitely try the conch train and if we have time try one of the beach you suggested.

 

In Cozumel we plan to wing it depending on the time we arrive. For now the plan is to go to maybe paradise beach or an francisco for kids to play and swim and do some shopping before heading back to ship. How much is reasonable for renting a van for at least 6 hrs., is $250 reasonable or not? Where can we go if we rent a van around 2pm to 8 pm? I heard most of Cozumel close at 5.

 

Appreciate all the info.

 

Ana

[Rogueperson]

Be careful with going to Tulum with a private tour guide. It's doable, but can be nerve wrecking because you have to take a ferry to the mainland and then drive an hour or so to get to Tulum. Going with the cruise line will take the guesswork out and guarantees the ship will wait for you.

 

Also, if you go to Tulum. Get the fish tacos from the cafe there. It was awesome and I haven't had a good fish taco like that.

 

Nuts, I missed your post about the fact you made the decision on cozumel

 

 

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Edited July 12, 2014 by Rogueperson

[maureencruiser]

This hotel offers sand sculpting classes. Email them to see if they are available the day you are there.

 

 

http://sandisle.com/sand-sculpting-101/

[QandA]

Cozumel is a long skinny island. All the locations are side by side on the same beach. However Mr. Sanchos is the only one I know of that does not charge you $10 a head to get in. They also have a little market area. The food is good. Drinks are cheap. There is a lot to do while you are there. Google it.

[alsjokers]

The conch train is great, also try Hemingway house. Eat some lunch at garbos of half shell raw bar

 

 

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[Marie51]

Cozumel is a long skinny island. All the locations are side by side on the same beach. However Mr. Sanchos is the only one I know of that does not charge you $10 a head to get in. They also have a little market area. The food is good. Drinks are cheap. There is a lot to do while you are there. Google it.

 

There is a charge of $3 at Paradise beach to get in. This covers the loungers and umbrella on the beach.