Western Cruise- anything wrong with hoofin' and beachin'?

[kpgclark]

We've never done a Disney cruise and our only other cruise was before kids to Alaska. I am thinking that we'll just wing it and walk around at the ports and go to whatever beach is nearby by just hailing a cab. Hopefully we'll be able to hail a return cab!! Anyone see any problems with this complete lack of planning or strategy? It is very unlike me to not have a plan....

 

[JLSE50]

We did 50-50. We have our own equipement and took it on Disney excursions and our own outings.

We took Disney's snorkeling excursion on Key West. They go with FURY CATAMARAN. We had first learned to snorkel with them in 1999 when the MAGIC could not go to Castaway Cay as a hurricane had damaged it badly. We snorkeled with them again in 2001 on our Royal Caribbean cruise. We consider them a known comodity and an enjoyable excursion.

In Grand Cayman we took Disney's excursion for the SHIP WRECK AND REEF SNORKEL and enjoyed that too. The Captian of the excursion was a hoot.

At Cozumel we got a taxi to CHAUKANAAB PARK, paid our entrance fee and snorkeled, sunned and ate as we chose. No problem getting a taxi back. They were lined up waiting. Our taxi driver on the way over said that since the cruise lines provide excrusions, being a taxi driver is not as good a job as it used to be when people stayed in hotels or arranged their own outings. I guess that explains the lines of waiting cabs. Be sure to agree on the fee before getting in the cab. Tour guide books tell expected prices.

At Castaway Cay we used our own equipment and a vest from Disney (no charge) because Disney wants everyone to have one. We don't "need" vests so we squeeze all the air out and everyone is happy. We snorkeled in the snrokeling-trail area and the adult beach. Saw wonderful animals!

Have a great time,
Jan

 

[alexandrew]

Good for you....

I've found that obsessive planning and preparation can be a a source of stress....the spontaneity of going with the flow was something we looked forward to...

 

[disneygal58]

We're doing the same. We will take the trolley tour of Key West, plan to take a taxi to some beach in Grand Cayman and would like to check out the ruins in Cozumel. We haven't secured any excursions and prefer to play it by ear once on board. We don't have our hearts set on any particular scenario - if an excursion is booked, we will enjoy the amenities on the Magic and be quite content.
I am a single mom(therefore single income) to two teenaged daughters and the sticker shock attached to the cost of several of the excursions makes lounging on the deck very desirable. As it is, the cruise itself is the bulk of our Christmas gift - we are very grateful to be going and I am grateful to have daughters who are gracious and undemanding.
Only 17 Days for our happy little group,
Dawn Hope

 

[alexandrew]

you're right disneygal, the cost of the excursions are very high....

 

[bev r.]

we did a 7 day eastern in November. We rented a car in both ST. Thomas and St. Maarten at the pier for about $80 with insurance. This allowed us to go to the beach for most of the day and we toured the islands on our way to the beach and back to the piers. We had no interest in shopping on either of the islands, so that was not an issue. The only thing we did plan ahead of time was to research which beaches we wanted to try.

With our family consisting of 2 adults and 3 kids, the we found the cost of excursions just to much, and found that cab fare would not be much cheaper than the car rental. The car really gave us the freedom to do our own thing on our own schedule, just make sure your back to the ship in plenty of time. Rumor had it on our cruise, someone missed getting back to the boat on time in St. Thomas.

PS. What we saved from not doing excursions, I spent on pictures.

 

[Wavegirl]

If you want info on beaches in Grand Cayman you might want to check out Beaches which is listed under the Free Section of Cayman ISlands Discounts

It shows maps to beaches you might want to visit so you know how to get there. Cabs are pricey in GC so don't go too far. Governor's beach is nice, Smiths cove is great, and so is Public Beach...THere are many others but you'd need to rent a car so I'd stick to these for affordable cab rides..dont' forget the sunscreen