Favorite Disney Cruise Port Visits

[BRER STITCH]

For anyone who has been on the longer Disney Cruises to the Eastern or Western Caribbean...

Aside from Castaway Cay, what was your favorite cruise port???

If you did any shore activities, which did you like the most???

:wave:

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I am curious to see everyones responses to this thread. Especially since I have the Disney cruise line special starting tomorrow.

Pam

 

[shadsdad]

Went on the Western Caribbean Trip last January. Only made it to one port which was Cozmel. Did the Fury catamaran snorkle and beach tour, loved it. Seas were too rough to go to Grand Cayman and we tried to dock 2 times at Castaway Cay but the current and seas were too strong and they could not make it into the dock. We had 5 sea days but still had a great time. :wave:

 

[BRER STITCH]

I am curious to see everyones responses to this thread. Especially since I have the Disney cruise line special starting tomorrow.

Pam

Hi Pam! :wave:

Your post about the October Special Offer and my upcoming Caribbean cruises prompted the original questions.

I know lots of people cruise with Disney and others, so I'm surprised at the slow response.

I'll post a list of my own if noone else joins in, but I just hate having to answer my own questions! :lol:

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I am hoping that SOMEONE will post in here so that I can refer people to this thread if they want some insight other than what I can give them.

Pam:lookaroun anyone?

 

[CatLady]

We took the Western cruise in November 2004.

We loved Cozumel. We actually chose not to do an excursion. I'm not a big fan of canned excursions. I did a lot of research ahead of time, and we ended up taking a taxi to Dzul Ha beach, one of the locations that the excursions took snorkelers. We brought a "dry bag" for our clothes/towels and a rope to attach to it, and we snorkeled from there to the next big resort (El Presidente?). Got out at the steps by their pool, bought drinks, then took a taxi back to the Magic. The total cost for 3 people: $28, including the drinks, for a truly wonderful experience. My caveat to this is that we visited before hurricane Wilma did a real number on Cozumel and on the near-shore reefs. I don't know that there are the same amazing options available from shore right now.

Our visit to Grand Cayman wasn't all that spectacular, but we were on the first Disney cruise allowed back into port after the damage from hurricane Ivan. We actually thought we were going to Costa Maya instead of Grand Cayman until a few days before we left. At the time we were there, the area around the tenders was freshly painted and looked nice, but a lot was still closed. We took the snorkeling excursion, since I wasn't confident in any information I was able to get ahead of time to allow us to venture off on our own. We had a good time, but the snorkeling was nowhere near as good as it was in Cozumel. The snorkeling was at fairly deep sites (especially the second site), and you didn't see the fish as "up close and personal" as you did in the shallower sites in Cozumel. I would love to go back and see what the port is really like when it's truly ready to receive visitors.

Of course, the best port of call is Castaway Cay. I haven't taken any excursions there. My husband and sister rented bicycles and had a blast riding around the island, but I was far more interested in the amazing peace and quiet of the adult beach, which I heartily recommend to anyone who doesn't have children they need to tend.

Hope that helps.

 

[BRER STITCH]

I've found that the offerings through the Cruise Lines are becoming more and more plentiful. These can easily be booked through your Travel Agent. Lots of people, however, prefer to have their travel agent book their tours directly through a local provider. Booking through the ship is very easy and can often be done right online.

Using a local provider requires a lot more planning around arrival and departure times than does booking through the ship. As a result, it's probably easier for a first-time cruiser to book the ship's tours to make sure they make it back to the boat on time! Local Tour providers, however, may book smaller groups and have a more personalized tour planned.

Key West might often be a first stop on a Western Trip and is famous for it's many bars and historical sights. Yes, they do have snorkeling and a Glass Bottom Boat ride which was really fun, but my suggestion is to book a seat on the Conch Train or Old Town Trolley and jump on and off all day as they take you on a tour of the entire Key. Hemingway's House, the Shipwreck Museum, The Key West Aquarium, and the Southern Most Point are all things you have to see at least once. After that, there is an awesome Pub Crawl I've heard of..... Be sure to have a piece of Key Lime Pie and some Conch Fritters at least one time while you are there!!! And stop in to Sloppy Joe's Bar for a cold one!

Cozumel offers a ton of things to do besides lie on the beach, including deep sea fishing, snorkeling, sightseeing around the island, trips to the mainland to see the Mayan ruins, and - my favorites! - the ATV Jungle Tour and the Jeep or Dune Buggy Adventure Tours! The ATV tour takes you through the jungle areas to see some small Mayan ruins and learn the history of the area, followed by a tirp out to the beach for lunch and some snorkeling, and then a trip back to the ship. There are plenty of variations on the tours to accomodate your ship's intinerary. Good shopping here too!

Grand Cayman is home to Stingray City, which everyone has to do at least once! (Never fear...These are not the same Stingrays that killed Steve Irwin!) These stingrays have been hand fed by humans since birth and live out on a sandbar off shore in waist deep waters, making them accessible to even the weakest of swimmers! Its a great family trip! Also, there are trips to the famous Turtle Farm, Rum Factory, and, of course, you can finally go to Hell! (Really! It's the city's name! HAHA! :lol: ) There's lots to see on Grand Cayman and the shopping is good, too! As you can probably guess, I'm not one to lay around on a beach, so I like doing the combo tour that takes me to all the places I mentioned above!

Jamiaca rounds out a Western Caribbean trip and offers the usual parasailing, beach club day, and sightseeing tours. Some things they offer that are unique, however, are the trips to Dunn's River Falls, River rafting, and Tubing adventures. May favorite choice is to start off the day with Horseback riding on the beach, followed by some snorkeling, shopping, and sampling the Jamaican food. Dunn's River Falls is an excellent tour...but only if you are docked at Ocho Rios! From Montego Bay, it is a 2-hour bus ride each way and will eat up your entire day at port.

These are just some of the things I enjoyed while in the WESTERN Caribbean.
I 'd be happy to answer any questions about them.
I have not taken trhe EASTERN Cruise, yet, so I'll have to hold my thoughts on those.

:wave:

 

[BRER STITCH]

WOW!

I could have sworn there were thousands of other people on that last cruise with me! :lol:

Wonder where they are now???

:lookaroun

 

[justducky78]

I've never been on a Disney cruise but have been on a Celebrity cruise and visited the western caribbean. We did pull up next to the Disney cruise and wanted to tour it - badly! Cruises are great in that you get to see different places and decide if you would go back to visit (or not). We're not huge "tour" people (we like to kick-back on vacation) but here's our opinion of the different ports/islands.

Cozumel - a lot of construction going on at the time. Good shopping but the shopkeepers were VERY aggressive. We were planning on doing a tour of the ruins but it never happened. Ok, but wouldn't go back.

Key West - loved it. Very pretty and laid back atmosphere - good restaurants and you can't leave without some key lime pie. I had heard a lot about key west (negative comments/bars and expected it to be seedy) but it was exactly the opposite. We plan to go back when we do a roadtrip of the keys in Florida.

Jamaica - we did the river cruise (bamboo raft) which was fun. On this island it's necessary to take a tour because they drive like maniacs on the island and I wouldn't want to drive there! There is also not much to do at the port (a few shops and they are aggressive here too). The people who lived on the island were the friendliest I've ever met but it was sad to see some of the poverty. We literally saw packs of dogs running alongside the road. Granted, we only saw one side of the island, but I don't see us going back.

Grand Cayman - quiet island, not too big but we liked it. Beautiful beaches and it seemed very clean. Would go back.

I definitely want to try the eastern caribbean cruise (hopefully Disney) next time!

 

[BRER STITCH]

Cozumel - a lot of construction going on at the time. Good shopping but the shopkeepers were VERY aggressive. We were planning on doing a tour of the ruins but it never happened. Ok, but wouldn't go back.

Key West - loved it. Very pretty and laid back atmosphere - good restaurants and you can't leave without some key lime pie. I had heard a lot about key west (negative comments/bars and expected it to be seedy) but it was exactly the opposite. We plan to go back when we do a roadtrip of the keys in Florida.

Jamaica - we did the river cruise (bamboo raft) which was fun. On this island it's necessary to take a tour because they drive like maniacs on the island and I wouldn't want to drive there! There is also not much to do at the port (a few shops and they are aggressive here too). The people who lived on the island were the friendliest I've ever met but it was sad to see some of the poverty. We literally saw packs of dogs running alongside the road. Granted, we only saw one side of the island, but I don't see us going back.

Grand Cayman - quiet island, not too big but we liked it. Beautiful beaches and it seemed very clean. Would go back.

I definitely want to try the eastern caribbean cruise (hopefully Disney) next time!

Hey DUCKY! :wave:

When was yor cruise? Wonder if the rebuilding is still going on in those parts?

Key West is a fun stop, and your River Raft Tour in Jamica looked great in the brochure! We chose the horseback riding just because we never get to do that around here.

Jamaica gets a pretty bad rap...and deservedly so....for how the shopkeepers are so aggressive toward the tourists in the pier areas. As long as you stay with a tour group, though, they pretty much leave you alone. I still hear of reports of people being apporached to buy drugs there, but its never happened to me. I've only been to Montego Bay, so I'm not really sure what Ocho Rios is like.

Grand Cayman is the most "Britsish" of the Western Carribbean and you can really see influences in how the place looks and operates.

I'm heading back next month, so I can update my thoughts then!

 

[justducky78]

Hey DUCKY! :wave:

When was yor cruise? Wonder if the rebuilding is still going on in those parts?

Key West is a fun stop, and your River Raft Tour in Jamica looked great in the brochure! We chose the horseback riding just because we never get to do that around here.

Jamaica gets a pretty bad rap...and deservedly so....for how the shopkeepers are so aggressive toward the tourists in the pier areas. As long as you stay with a tour group, though, they pretty much leave you alone. I still hear of reports of people being apporached to buy drugs there, but its never happened to me. I've only been to Montego Bay, so I'm not really sure what Ocho Rios is like.

Grand Cayman is the most "Britsish" of the Western Carribbean and you can really see influences in how the place looks and operates.

I'm heading back next month, so I can update my thoughts then!

Hi Brer,

Sorry - it took so long to reply! We were on the cruise in 2003 so I'm sure some things have changed since then. Although, I think I remember reading that Cozumel is STILL undergoing road/sidewalk maintenance - I hope that's not the case!

And, no, we were not approached to buy drugs! :lol: Although - from our visit, there, I wouldn't be surprised. We docked in Ocho Rios and the shopkeepers were very aggressive there, too, so it must be all over the island. It was a huge turn-off. I don't care where I am, when salespeople start following me around or bugging me, I leave! Overall, it was nice to visit there at least once and the tour people were SO friendly, but I wouldn't return. The horseback riding sounds fun, though.

I hope you have a great cruise - I'll be interested to read your thoughts and see what has changed.

 

[magicfan]

Sorry, just noticed this thread


Out of all that I've been to, my favorite probably would have been Cozumel.

Ports that I've been to:

St. Maarten
Not as much beach as some others. A lot of shops and stores to explore.

St. Thomas
More beach. Less stores. Very scenic

Costa Maya
When I went, all the beaches were closed due to rough weather. All that was there to do unless you had an excursion was explore the tiny tourist center, with many stores and their overpriced items. My quote from a salesperson there to describe the island, "come and see the Mexican junk"

Cozumel
When I went, the dock had not been rebuilt (because of hurricane), so you had to take a tender to get there. I didn't go on Cozumel itself because I took an excursion. The excursion took us to Playa Del Carmen. I did the zip line. It was very cool. I highly reccomend it. So technically, I didn't go to Cozumel, but that was the port of call I liked the best.

Zip Line Excursion
You took a 30 min. boat ride to the mainland. From there, you met your guide and took a 2 hour ride to the location. That was the one part I hated. About halfway there you got off the highway and took the dirt road with absolutely nothing in any direction. Anyway, you got there and did a zip line course. It covered app. 1.5 miles through 12 stations. Pretty fun. After, you rode bikes 1.5 miles to a freshwater sinkhole. I though that was the best part. It was the perfect temperature - not cold, not hot. Plus, you either took stairs or jumped 25 feet to get in. The surroundings were gorgeous. After about half an hour you went back to the base, had lunch, and then took the long ride back to the ship. Oh, and the bus was very tiny. But all in all it was a very fun experience.


Hope that helps