Would like tips and info on the Fantasy 7 night Western Caribbean.

[Ozarkglittergirl]

We have this booked and are wondering about everyone’s favorite excursions at each port. Also, beaches, tell me about how nice they are, or aren’t, and safety at the beaches? You’re best advice, favorite/least favorite thing. Anything you’d care to share will be greatly appreciated.

 

[robhawk]

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[robhawk]

We loved Nachi Cocum beach day in Cozumel. Great lunch and margaritas.
Stingray City was one of the best excursions we’ve ever done. Grand Cayman.
Heard the Jamaican Bobsled was great. We couldn’t dock that day so we didn’t do it.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

Oh, thank you! That’s all great to know

 

[Peanato1]

We did this Cruise in September of last year. As for excursions, we did the Mayan chocolate experience (ok, best part was they gave us a tour around the island) and the Bobsled/Dunn's River excursion in Falmouth (Bobsled was a blast, Dunn's River was a bit overwhelming/overstimulating at first but calmed down in the second half). We did the Cayman Turtle Farm on our own in Grand Cayman (favorite part of the trip).

 

[starvenger]

Grand Cayman, we took a taxi to Public Beach. Obviously, not a whole lot to it - go to the beach, rent lounger/umbrella, relax. Restaurant has wifi and they'll let you use it if you buy food/drink from there.

Cozumel, I've been twice.
- First time, we went to Tulum. Very cool.
- Second time, it was heavy rain so we didn't get off the ship.
- We're going to be there in August, and I've booked Nachi Cocom. There are several day resorts there of course but I liked the idea of a guest limit at Nachi Cocom so I went with them.

Falmouth, I've also been twice.
- First time, we went to Dunns River Falls. It's fun, but crowded, in part because it takes around 90-120 minutes to get there from Falmouth, so you're there around peak time.
- Second time, we stayed in the terminal area.

 

[Erica1016]

Just following along to get ideas for our cruise in December!

 

[iluveeyore]

We went in Sept. 2016 (my first cruise!) - had a fantastic time! Nachi Cocum was wonderful, so few people, great food, drinks, pool and beachside palapas. Falmouth port is gorgeous, lots of nice shops just for cruise passengers. We chose to do the Braco stables horseback ride and swim, and it was amazing. Only about 20-25 min from port, they sent a van to pick us up. Rode horses on a trail down to the beautiful private beach, got changed, and then rode horses while they swam in the beautiful blue water. They had a snack shack there just for us (had a refreshing Red Stripe beer), and we were back on board Fantasy for lunch, that was my favorite excursion. Grand Cayman we just wandered around some shops then spent most of our time on board. Great memories!

 

[dcassetta]

Cozumel:
Nachi Cocum ( my favorite) Very quiet and relaxed. Nice beach and pool with plenty of loungers and shade, food and all drinks (alcohol too) included. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own). No water park. About $60 per person, kids are less http://www.cozumelnachicocom.com/

Mr. Sanchos (my second favorite) Fun and active. Nice beach and pool area, not as shady near the beach as Nachi Cocum. Food and all drinks included. Ocean floating park for an additional $12 per person. Add-ons like jet skis, parasailing and horseback riding are available. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own) About $55 per person, kids are less.http://www.mrsanchos.com/

Playa Mia (excellent reviews from friends) Fun and active, not as shady near beach as Nachi Cocum. Food and all drinks included. Pools, fresh-water water park and slides and an ocean floating park included. Also, non-motorized boats like kayaks and water bikes. Add-ons like jet skis and parasailing. Okay off-beach snorkeling (fee if you do not have your own) About $60 person, including all the kids. https://www.playamia.com/

 

[dcassetta]

Grand Cayman:
Anywhere on 7 Mile Beach is fine.

Falmouth:
This is not really the beach area of Jamaica, so you would want to book something that includes transfers and there will be a bit of a drive. There is Margaritaville with a nice pool area right inside the secure port.

 

[GarrettJD]

We did the Western Caribbean last year in October.

Cozumel: Booked at Nachi Cocom based on the recommendations of others on the DIS. It was wonderful-- uncrowded, beautiful beach, good food and drinks, great service. The cab ride to and from was easy. Would definitely do this again.

Grand Cayman: Took a public taxi to the Royal Palms. Beautiful beach, probably our favorite of the trip, but it was somewhat crowded. We did spring for a cabana rental which gave us our own space (through their website a few weeks before departure.) Very close to the port, also (we could see the Fantasy anchored offshore from our beach.)

Falmouth: If you want to do any beaches here, it's quite a long way from the port. We decided to skip the excursions and stay within the immediate port area. We hung out and swam at Margaritaville and had lunch there before it got too crowded, then spent some time shopping around within the confines of the port. We had a good time despite not seeing the "real" Jamaica.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

We were on this cruise in April/May 2016.

We took the excursion to Rum Point in Grand Cayman. It was truly beautiful and we had a great time. I highly recommend it. In Jamaica we took the excursion to Good Hope Estate and had the tea there. It was lovely and we had a great time there as well.

 

[Ozarkglittergirl]

Awesome inside information here, thanks so much.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

Grand Cayman:
Anywhere on 7 Mile Beach is fine.

Falmouth:
This is not really the beach area of Jamaica, so you would want to book something that includes transfers and there will be a bit of a drive. There is Margaritaville with a nice pool area right inside the secure port.

I went to margaritaville, not on a cruise but just during an excursion(stayed at an all inclusive). I wasn’t impressed. I thought it was dirty, expensive and sketchy.
Can you go to Bob Marleys house? I did that and thought it was awesome.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We've done 2 Westerns:

Cozumel: First time we did Tulum cruise via DCL (excursion CZ06); amazing adventure. We love historical sightseeing and this met and exceeded all expectations. A bit of a bus ride after the ferry to the mainland, but more then worth it. Second time we did shopping at Punta Lagosta followed by the Cozumel Museum, which was a little walk down the main strand, but really good. Oscar was our docent who gave us a guided tour of the museum, explaining the displays and fleshing out the history of the island with information not found on the placards. Really worth the while. Truth in advertising here: the kids didn't do the museum with us, we left them in the Edge to avoid the teenage/tweenage whining.

Grand Cayman: First time we did Stingray City Reef Sail & Snorkel via DCL (G09) which was, again, amazing. This excursion hooked the entire family on snorkeling. This excursion did not go to the sandbar, but rather to the reef where we were in deeper water (15'+) with fully mature stingrays and the barrier reef about 20 yards from the mooring buoy. Fantastic. Highly recommend. Second time we did Shipwreck and Reef Snorkeling (G15) which was just as amazing as the G09. Words fail to convey how amazing these two excursions impressed me, DW & the kids (ages 8-13 during the two adventures)

Jamaica: Chukka Taste of Jamaica at Good Hope Estate (FA28) was extraordinarily disappointing. Long bus ride, well meaning but uninformed docents at the house, poorly maintained facilities, lots of 'unintentional waiting' at the gift shop - like an a hour and a half total - yeah. Don't recommend this one.

Costa Maya: No excursions here; just explored. The port shopping area is fairly lame. I heard through the grapevine that there were interior excursions or down the coast excursions that were awesome, but we were only in port for 5.5 hours, so it was a bit of a wash.

 

[Senaby]

Cozumel :
We (my 60+ mum, 11 yo son and 7 yo daughter and I ) did Xcaret the eco-archaeological park and it was just awesome! The place is so beautiful, jaw-dropping! We would love to get back to it because there was not enough time to discover it all. Expensive but worth every penny.
Grand Cayman :
Swim with the dolphins and Turtle Farm. We enjoyed both experiences very much, the kids were thrilled. But for the dolphins, you can't take pics (unless you have someone with you who is on the side and not actually in the water) and then the photos package is extremely expensive and not great quality (however we purchased it of course to bring a memory of the great experience back.)
Falmouth :
Dunns River Falls + Sky explorer + Lunch
We loved both places especially climbing the falls! The soaring over the rainforest by the sky explorer was great and the lunch at the top of Mystic Mountain was very tasty.

3 excursions and we totally fell in love with Xcaret and Dunns River Falls.

 

[DebHorner04]

We did the Western on the Fantasy last April.

Cozumel: Dolphin excursion at Dolphinaris. DD (age 9) absolutely loved it. DH and I had a better experience in Freeport many years ago. But, this was a great family experience.
Grand Cayman: Sea Trek Helmet Dive---this was awesome! We still talk about this adventure. Would definitely recommend this to anyone!
Falmouth: Didn't leave the port. Got off the ship for a little shopping, then back on the ship by lunchtime.

We're heading back on the Fantasy for a repeat Western in June.
Enjoy!!!!

 

[phinz]

Cozumel :
We (my 60+ mum, 11 yo son and 7 yo daughter and I ) did Xcaret the eco-archaeological park and it was just awesome! The place is so beautiful, jaw-dropping! We would love to get back to it because there was not enough time to discover it all. Expensive but worth every penny.

Are they running cruise-sponsored excursions on the Mexican mainland again? At one point not too long ago they stopped all mainland excursions that required a ferry ride because of the bomb that went off on one ferry and the other bomb that was found on the bottom of another ferry.

 

[dcassetta]

I went to margaritaville, not on a cruise but just during an excursion(stayed at an all inclusive). I wasn’t impressed. I thought it was dirty, expensive and sketchy.
Can you go to Bob Marleys house? I did that and thought it was awesome.

This was the Margaritaville at the secure port area at Falmouth? I'm surprised to hear your review. We've been there twice, and both times were excellent experiences. Other people have reported having similar positive experiences. I didn't realize you could even go in the secure port area unless you were coming off a cruise ship.

 

[phinz]

This was the Margaritaville at the secure port area at Falmouth? I'm surprised to hear your review. We've been there twice, and both times were excellent experiences. Other people have reported having similar positive experiences. I didn't realize you could even go in the secure port area unless you were coming off a cruise ship.

I'm betting it wasn't. There are a plethora of Margaritavilles in Jamaica.