Thread: port trips

we are going on carnival legend in september the ports are cozemel berlize grand cayman and roatan we have read some reviews of these ports and some people felt afraid to venture out on their own, also afraid to find their own tours at the port. having no experience on these ports and also british we would like advice , should we book with cruise line orlook around in port for tours,we would not enjoy tours if we felt un safe .

Haven't been to Rotoran, but you don't need to worry about any of the others. Belize is English speaking (used to be British Honduras I think) & although it looks a bit dodgy, we went to one of the taxi tour stands on the boardwalk (- where the ship's tender drops you) & hired a driver - we got a lady and she was great. She showed us the sights, told us about the history and the current social issues & helped us buy souveneirs.
Grand Cayman - is lovely just to have a walk around George Town. People we shared a table with took a taxi to Sting ray city - we'll definitely do that next time.
Cozumel - we stayed in the main part with the shops - but we heard about people hiring jeeps & having a great time - again, I think we'll do that next time.

Have a great time!

thanks for the quick reply

Hi "jadonjohn" and welcome to CLF!

Your itinerary sounds GREAT to me!

Grand Cayman: Probably the safest place you'll ever go anywhere!

Cozumel: Never have felt unsafe there. We've been on many catamaran tours offered by the ship as well as just taking a taxi to a beach on our own. One of our favorite things to do is to go Bar Hopping in town. Mayan Ruins ... we did this once (enough for us) when our children were still cruising with us thru the ship. One of our favorite ports!

Roatan: Since you'll be on a Carnival ship, you'll probably dock at the new Mahogany Bay cruise terminal. There's a beach right there so you don't really need to go anyplace else. Most cruise lines offer some decent tours and there are also some respected independants who do as well. I'd shy away from renting a car. There's one highway in good condition ... but the rest of the roads are awful and poorly marked. We love Roatan!

Belize: As Sue mentioned, use to be British Honduras. We've only been there twice and booked our beach excursions through the ship both times to a private island area which was great and very well secured. Honestly, I would not feel safe going out and roaming around on my own there.

You might enjoy going to the Cruise Places section here on CLF and checking under each of your port stops. There's some helpful info and you can ask questions there too.

I agree 100% with LuLu!!

Bottom line is you'll be fine, especially in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Belize and Roatan are very nice, but you do have to stay within the confines of the usual tourist areas and tours. Don't want to go venturing out into the country by yourself. But they are safe and fun. And no, you don't have to book the excursions through the cruise line - in fact it's cheaper and a whole lot less crowded if you do your own thing.

As for those who feel afraid, keep in mind that people are more apt to write a review if it's negative than if it's positive. We've been on 36 cruises and to most of the islands in the Caribbean, many several times. We've always done our own excursions and have never had any problems or felt unsafe.

Pete

thanks pete cant wait to sail now ,feeling really confident.