1st time cruiser
 

hello everyone, my husband and i are planning our first cruise. the one we have picked out is a 7 day cruise on the mariner of the seas. its ports are, labadee, haiti: ocho rios, jamaica: george town, grand cayman: cozumel mexico. can anyone give us some tips? i know that labadee is a beach port, but any for the rest? not sure about cabins my husband and i are both clostrophobic. thanks so much

I've only been on one cruise, but my favorite part was the balcony.

And take some candied/crystallized ginger along- you probably won't need it, but it works better for our family than any other motion sickness treatment without most side effects.

Hi wileycg - We have had ocean view (window) and balcony staterooms. A lot of people say once you've had a balcony, you'll never want less than a balcony... but we are fine with either. In fact, for our Mediterranean cruise last summer we thought the balcony was a waste since the cruise was very port intensive and we were rarely in the cabin. Wouldn't want an inside stateroom, however (no view of the outside at all).

In Ocho Rios most people rave about climbing Dunn's River Falls.

In Grand Cayman, a snorkel trip that also stops at Sting Ray City is a must.

Cozumel also has fantastic snorkeling, although we haven't been there since Hurricane Wilma... I know there was damage to the reefs in the more shallow places, but I've also read that much of the reef has come back. You can either go on a boat trip, or you can snorkel right from shore at a variety of places.

Did you try looking at your ports on www.cruisecritic.com for ideas? That's a great resource.

You'll have a great time on Royal Caribbean!

Carole

We're doing a cruise also in April. Our third. 2 others on Carnival and now this one on Princess. We have the same ports or call except we go to Princess' private Island instead or Royal Caribbean's.

We've been to Cozumel twice and Grand Cayman once. If you snorkel or dive those are the Islands to do it. Cozumel has several beach clubs, good shopping and varous Island tours. I agree, Sting Ray City is a must in Grand Cayman. Island tours and shopping are good there also. For Ocho Rios we booked with a private company to Dunns River Falls, Fern Gulley, Shaw Park Gardens and Margaritaville. We haven't been to Ocho Rois before, but have been to Negril. We thought thewaterfals are just beautiful.

We laways get a balcony cabin. We like to just sit out on theblacony with a cocktail and relax. Also a good place to get away from the crowds.

www.cruisecritic.com is a very good resource for anything reagrding cruises.

Cocontom or anyone else, where would I get the candied/crystallized ginger? We used meclizine and dramamine last time and it really didn't work for us.

Ignore everything the cruise line tells you about Cozumel. They are just trying to get you to use the tours and shop the shops that pay them a kick back.

Get away from the first row of shops by the dock and enjoy the friendly island.

Keith

KVR - I buy candied ginger at Trader Joes, although I know TJs are not in all states.

Oh, wileycg... it's better to find your own tours, rather than going on the ones the ship offers. You'll pay less money and have a better experience (tours offered by the ship can have dozens of people)! See cruisecritic for recommended tour operators.