Freedom - Concerns about full ports

[mangowife]

Hubby and I are booked on Freedom's 12/17/2006 sailing. We cannot wait! I just learned about www.cruisecal.com from another thread, and checked out what other ships will be in port with us.

 

In Cozumel, there will be 5 other ships, and in Grand Cayman, there will be 7 other ships! :eek:

 

That seems like a lot to me... should I be concerned about full ports? Does that just mean that it'll be super busy at the pier, or should I be concerned about anything in particular? Maybe there will be more competition for popular excursions?

 

Any insights would be appreciated... thanks in advance!

 

P.S. My mom is currently on Freedom, and she called to say it's just gorgeous. I wish I was there with her! :)

[blyle]

The most important thing is Traffic in Grand Cayman. Since the road back to the pier is only 2 lanes it comes to a standstill when it gets close to 2or 4 pm. One time we actually got out of our cab and walked because it was faster. Just factor in your return time in GC and remember that the beaches will be crowded.

[Ocean Boy]

I wouldn't worry about Cozumel too much. It seems to be able to absorb people pretty well. Gand Cayman is a whole other matter. Down town can get pretty packed and the major attractions, of which there are not many, may be pretty crowded. It tends to not be so bad in ports that are located on larger islands with many options for visitors as people tend to disperse.

[shipshape sam]

I would also be careful about Georgetown Grand Cayman as it is a 'tender' vs dock. Thus, it takes more of your 'listed' time in port than ususal. The good news is there are not many excurisions that take a full day, but the area where the tenders land in town is very crowded. A couple of blocks away the crowds thin out.

[OPSoccermom]

We had 7 ships in port when we were in GC on Mariner. What a pain!

 

The area around the tender docks was so crowded that our RCI - sponsored tour that was scheduled for noon left a hour and a half late and then had to be cut short to allow for extra time to get back to the ship. We were the last tender back on the ship. The tour operators would not let us leave the meeting point so we all stood there thirsty and starving until they could get us into the tour van.

 

I would definitely recommend a morning excursion vs afternoon so you don't have to feel stressed over getting back on board. Would also recommend an independent tour that meets away from the tender dock so you can get away from the congestion.

 

We were looking forward to GC more than any other island on our itinerary, and left feeling like we didn't get to experience much of the beauty of this island.

[mangowife]

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

I would definitely recommend a morning excursion vs afternoon so you don't have to feel stressed over getting back on board. Would also recommend an independent tour that meets away from the tender dock so you can get away from the congestion.

 

OPSoccermom, if timing is an issue, wouldn't it be better to go with an official RCCL excursion since the ship would wait for us to return if we got stuck in all the congestion and was running late?

 

Grand Cayman is THE port we are looking foward to, too... I hope we get to make the most out of it.

[wrp96]

If you do a morning excursion, you should definitely be fine with an independent operator. If you do an afternoon excursion, make sure to give yourself a couple of hours between the end of the tour and the ship leaving to get back to the ship if it is an independent excursion.

[Aquahound]

I just returned from the Freedom. There were three other ships in Grand Cayman. No big deal there as most people seemed to stay on board or go on excursions.

 

Do not fret about Cozumel. The southern pier has been completely destroyed and the main pier has just reopened for one ship only as a result of Hurricane Wilma.

[Hooked on Cruises]

I also returned from FOS yesterday. I did notice 1 Carnival ship and 1 RCCL in GC, but we all had different drop off stations, so it did not matter that much. It was crowded, but I felt safe as compared to crazy Montego Bay. Cozumel's new pier is destroyed, so we docked at the old downtown pier. I did take some pics and I will post them soon. This is a very poor city as compared to GC. Avoid Labadee's Flea Market, those people are very pushy. At the end I just ignored them as each one of them was inviting me to their "store", I was frustrated. Labadee is beautiful. WOW!!!!

[OPSoccermom]

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

 

 

OPSoccermom, if timing is an issue, wouldn't it be better to go with an official RCCL excursion since the ship would wait for us to return if we got stuck in all the congestion and was running late?

 

Grand Cayman is THE port we are looking foward to, too... I hope we get to make the most out of it.

While I would recommend doing it in the morning, I would have no problem recommending independent tours in GC, or just about anywhere else. First, the there are many very good independent operators on GC. Second, the independent guides tend to have smaller tour groups, and you can often avoid the large groups (the tour to Stingray City that I describe above had 150+ people on one tour!!!) and the time-consuming "cattle-herding" involved with a group that large. With smaller groups of people you know, you can get around the islands much faster than when you are in large groups and have to always wait for those few stragglers.

 

That excursion was the only one we had booked through the ship on that cruise. All others on that and subsequent cruises have been booked independently and we have always been happy with them. I rely on fellow CCers and friends I met through Meet & Mingle for a lot of advice on independent shore excursions. There is a lot of great information available if you do your homework