Ocho Rios, Jamaica
This was our first stop on our first cruise so we didn't know what to expect. We had small kids with us so we opted for just a day at the beach instead of something more difficult. Unfortunately, the "beach" that they took us to was somewhat disappointing. It was more like a sandy patch than a beach. The food and entertainment were mediocre.. it involved a DJ playing Bob Marly and a bunch of Jamaican girls being ordered around by a white guy that was obviously the owner. Anyway, I don't feel that our experience does Jamaica any justice, next time we will opt for a different excursion.
Cozumel, Mexico
We have been to Cozumel twice now and have loved it both times. Both times we have opted to do the "Playa Mia Beach Break"--a beach resort about 20 minutes from Cozumel. They have a great beach with gorgeous water and all kinds of water toys to play with, along with a great swimming pool when you get tired of the ocean (like that is possible!). There is also a fabulous Mexican buffet that we highly recommend. When we were there without the kids we did the swimming with the dolphins experience and that was a lot of fun. Overall, I would say that this is a great excursion if you have kids and want a leisurely day at the beach. On the way back to the boat, you walk through an area full of shops and all the Mexican souvenirs that you can carry. Sombrero anyone?
Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands
We have been to these beautiful islands twice and both times had a great experience. The first trip we had the kids so we just did the beach excursion. I think that 7 Mile Beach has the best sand I have ever seen. It is so soft, like brown sugar. The water is crystal clear, so beautiful. This beach is perfect for small kids to just play in the sand and water. The second time we went, we booked an excursion online instead of with the boat. They picked us up at the pier and we went snorkeling, swimming with the Stingray, and finally a few hours at 7 Mile Beach. This trip we had Grandma with us and she was happy to tag along, but stayed on the boat during the snorkeling and stingray experience. It was nice and relaxed and we had so much fun. Swimming with the stingray is one of those life experiences that I highly suggest you do!
Nassau, Bahamas
We had a fun day exploring around Nassau on foot. We went to the Queens Staircase, a huge, beautiful staircase; and a old military fort. We just got a map and walked around the city without much difficulty. We found a Hard Rock Cafe and had lunch and then ended the afternoon shopping at the local artisan market.
Key West, Florida
Key West was the first stop on our Disney cruise. It is an exotic little town that mostly caters to those looking for a party. We walked around the town, shopped at the tourist shops and found a few Letterboxes. The highlight of the day was a yummy treat of frozen key lime pie on a stick, dipped in chocolate. Oh so good!
Roatan, Honduras
This is pretty little island of the coast of Honduras. We went on a fun excursion involving snorkeling and then a stop at a wildlife preserve where a monkey peed on Kevin. We stopped at the Artisan market on the way back to the boat.
Belize City, Belize
We found this to be a pretty town though the further we got from the pier the more obvious the poverty. Kevin and I went on the cave tubing excursion. This involved a bus ride out to a beautiful, mountain area where we were given a big inner tube and followed a guide to the caves. We jumped in the river and floated through the caves on the inner tubes. The caves were very large and only a few parts were dark enough to need the head lamps they gave us. This was a fun and memorable adventure.
Ensenada, Mexico
A poor little town not far down the coast of Baja, Mexico, Ensenada was our second stop on our first cruise with all the kids and our first cruise in the Pacific. We booked the excursion from the boat because I was too nervous to explore with 5 kids on our own. We were bussed out to the "Blowhole", a natural water spout not far from the pier. To get to the Blowhole, you walked through a market area full of lots of people trying to get the "gringos" to buy their wares. We stopped for some yummy tacos and churros before heading back to the boat.
Catalina Island, California
This was our first stop on our 4 day Baja cruise. It was a cold, dreary day typical of the Pacifc. The first thing we did is go to the nearest shop and spend a truckload of money on sweatshirts for everyone. Silly me to thing it should be warm in June! Once we were warm, we wandered around the little island. This is definitely not a beach place! The beach was such a sorry place that we didn't even stop, let alone think about putting our toes in the water. Instead, we found a place to rent golf carts and had a great hour driving all around the island. This proved to be the highlight of the day.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
We spent two days at this stop when went went on our first Mexican Riviera cruise. We had all six kids so had to find things to do for all ages. The first day we did an excursion with the boat that involved taking a small boat out to see the famous Land's End Arch and then a bus ride to a private resort for a yummy lunch a some time at the beach. The water was rough and the sand course, so different from the Caribbean. But the kids had fun playing in the sand and water. The second day we did some shopping and took a water taxi out to the Lovers Beach and Divorce Beach. We spent a relaxing couple of hours playing in the water and laying around on the beach.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
The second stop on our Mexican Riviera cruise, Puerto Vallarta did not disappoint. We walked down the pier to a Pirate ship waiting for us. We spent the day being entertained by "real" pirates that put on a show of music and acting. We had a yummy lunch and then were dropped off at a beautiful beach for a few hours of playing in the water, snorkeling, volleyball, and a pirate treasure hunt for the kids. I could have stayed there much longer, it was so beautiful. I didn't care for the pirate ship, but the kids loved the cheesy entertainment. We did some shopping in Puerto and discovered the city to be the most modern Mexican city that we have been to yet. We found a mall not far from the pier that was just as modern as any American Mall (we got out of there as fast as we could).
