What to do on a Western Caribbean cruise?

What should I do on my Western Caribbean cruise?

• I am going on a Western Caribbean cruise in January. I want to know opinions on best shore excursions, where should I just plan on hanging on the beach, and where the best animal and marine life are. Also, can I expect to see any marine life (dolphins, etc.) as I cruise that area? In January, the average high temps at my destinations are in the high 70's to low 80's. The ports of call are: Grand Cayman, Roatan, Honduras, Cozumel, Mexico Princess Cays, Bahamas Suggestions?

• Answer:

  Your library or bookstore will have guidebooks for Caribbean ports of call. Or the on-line guidebooks will have info on that. A great source is CruiseCritic.com. Click on "Boards" and go to "Ports of Call" for info from experienced cruisers. Cayman and Coz are both easy to do on your own. Cayman is a tendered port, so you'll need to allow extra time for the 15-20-minute tender to/from the ship. You MUST be sure to allow time to get back to the ship ON TIME because they will not wait for you if you're late unless you're on one of their excursions. Make sure you take the essentials for that situation [passport, money/credit card, name of ship's agent on shore]. In Cayman, "the" thing to do is to swim with the stingrays. You can do this independently and have a much better experience. Captain Marvin and Nativeway are among several providers that are reliable. I've done both and preferred the latter because their trip included a stop at Rum Point. However, we did just make it back in time for the last tender to the ship [they returned to shore just after leaving because someone forgot something - don't be that person!]. If you want a good snorkel spot, Eden Roc is literally a 5-minute walk to your right [with your back to the ocean]. Or take a cab or public bus to Seven Mile Beach. If you do a search on "Cayman Island tourism", you'll get several leads [sorry, I can't remember the URL]. In Coz, you can take a cab south to one of the beach resorts. Chankanaab Park and Paradise Beach [both have websites] are popular ones. I've been to both and prefer the former, although I haven't been since it was rebuilt after the hurricane. Pictures I've seen are awesome. Make sure you know which port your ship is docked at - there are three of them. Sometimes the cabbies seem a bit unsure about which ship is where. If you want to shop in town, you can get better deals if you walk back a block from the main drag. Haven't been to Roatan, but there's good info on it at CC. Princess Caye is the cruise line's private island, so your activities will be whatever you sign up for or just lazing on the beach. Have fun!!