Planning Western Caribbean Cruise

[kprudge]

Greetings,

My mother and I are on the NCL Getaway in a couple weeks (April 15). Our ports are Costa Maya, Belize (Harvest Caye/Placencia), Roatan, and Cozumel.

Mom does not dive. If all four ports are "must-do," she will understand, but it would be ideal for me to spend 1-2 port days with her. We both like the beach and I also enjoy snorkeling.

I do not want to dive through the cruise excursions unless it is necessary or highly beneficial for that particular port. I realize that I will need to research which shops can accommodate my schedule and already have a boat going out (since I am solo). I would love it if they could pick me up near the pier. I am undecided on whether to bring my own gear.

I would love to hear your advice on the above considerations and the following ideas:

- Costa Maya - 1 tank Lionfish hunting w/Doctor Dive (it would be my first time) then beach w/Mom
- Placencia, Belize - Stay with Mom - beach on mainland or boat ride to island for beach and snorkel
- Roatan (Coxen Hole) - dive with (?) operator
- Cozumel (Punta Langosta) - dive with (?) operator (maybe Blue Hole? Blue Angel? Alison? based on board posts).

I am very excited! Thank you in advance!

Kimberly

 

[SNS-Mike]

I'm looking forward to the answers as I'm on the same cruise about two months later.

 

[diversteve]

Some choices for Roatan:

Coxen Hole is kind of a dump, There's some typical cruise tourist shops at the port but not much else.

My first choice there for both of you would be Barefoot Cay/Divers which has a cruise dive option that includes lunch. The Cay is small with a decent but small beach. There's a natural breakwater so good snorkeling in a large lagoon that's only 18' deep at the deep end - also there's a dock/palapa to get you out into it. Lunch is included in the price - IDK what they offer for Mom though. They are pretty accomodating so I'm aure something is possible. French Hsrbour is just a couple minutes away also if she wants to look around.Barefoot Cay is maybe 10mins. from Coxen Hole and while they can arrange a taxi - $20 - you'll have to meet/pay for it. Roatan 5-Star PADI Dive Center & Lodging | Barefoot Divers | Experience Barefoot Daivers in the Roatan, Bay Islands.

Ask them if it's possible to do Mary's Place - one of the signature Roatan dives which is 5mins. from their dock - it will partially depend on the experience level on your boat. If you decide on one of 'West' options I listed below, arguably the best diving is off the far west end - Texas was a good dive. Anthony's Key is also near Sppoky Channel - another known dive - they like to dive Overheat Reef also since it's near the resort.

The cruise operator is likely Anthony's Key. They are located on the north side - you're docking on the south. AKR is pretty much by itself so would not be good for Mom. i see it's covered in the next reply.

Subway Watersports is another option - they also pick up. They're located at Turqpise Bay resort on the NE side which has a nice beach but is pretty isolated. They also offer snorkeling and other activities for non-divers, Cruise Ship Excursions for Divers or First Time Divers! | Roatan Diving, IDC Training | Subway Watersports

You couild also contact one of the West End or West Bay operations - I believe most will help with a cab but don't offer pickup. It's a $25 cab ride from Coxen Hole to the West End.

The West End is the more funky, touristy area. Not the best beach but it would be OK for a day. Good snorkeling out to the right side about 50' out - we saw snorkelers there daily. Most of the shops keep their boats just out front so two dives and back around 11:30 or so are possible. Lots of places to eat in the area also. Try Coconut Tree Divers or Reef Gliders - there's also about a dozen other options. It will really depend on your port time as to which dives to book.Several times on our Coconut Tree boat there were cruise divers. Some of the shops return to the dock after every dive so it's possible to do the 2nd & 3rd dives if you can't get there for the first.

​

West Bay is the nicest beach on Roatan. It's likely the cruise beach excursion goes there - often near Bananarama which is a beachfront resort and dive operation. Not the best snorkeling for Mom - and it's a decent walk to the point where it's likely the best although I have seen one other area mentioned also. West Bay Divers also has a cruise program.

Placencia has a nice beach for miles. No diving close in shore so the better stuff is all about an hour boat ride out. Might be good to do something else there besides dive. Splash Dive is the go to in the area should you decide to try.

hth

 

[robint]

Roatan is a definite dive destination.... and it is great to use the cruise op, Anthony's Key Resort. Loved them last year, thought they did a fantastic job, we took our own gear but others used their rentals that looked brand new. Dive sites are really 5-10 minutes from dock, so go out do dive, come back to dock for surface interval, then back out for second dive. Yes, we could see the resort still, but the reefs run all along the coastline in Roatan, all the way around island, so it isn't necessary to go far to enjoy a dive. When we go back to Roatan, we will use AKR again, thought they did a great job. We had 8 divers and 2 DMs, one lead, one follow. Perfect.

Anthony's Key Resort...that's our boat.
Plus, when you dive with AKR, they pick you up at port, drive you to AKR for diving, then bring you right back. Its a 4 hour event, then you have the rest of port time with your mom.

Cozumel... this is a tough one, depends what time you get off the ship. The dive ops all go out for morning dives early, like 8am daily, and reefs are south end of island so 40-60 minute boat ride each way. If your ship doesn't arrive until later, you will need to find a dive op willing to hold back a boat for you, and will need to have at least 4 people for that. There are literally dozens of dive ops on Cozumel, most with only 1 boat though, so you need to start sending e-mails NOW to get something arranged.

Costa Maya...haven't been there so can't tell you. I wouldn't do a lionfish kill dive myself, I'd rather go enjoy 2 dives on the reefs. Supposed to be good diving.

Belize...NCL does dock at a beach/port they built and own, so its a good beach day.

 

[Dogbowl]

I did the same itinerary several times on the same ship.

Costa Maya - I dived with Doctor Dive. Did a 2 tank trip. The storefront is on the beach so your mom can go with you and just hang out at the beach and eat or drink. Quick and cheap cab ride from the ship’s dock. Google for instructions on how to get a cab. I wouldn’t do a lion fish hunt since you’re pretty new? I got this based on your number of dives. Just enjoy the diving!

Belize - I would stay with your mom and forget diving. We docked at Belize City though, not Palencia. We did venture over to Ambergris Caye via airplane and did some snorkeling. We really enjoyed the flight over and there’s a beach there.

Roatan - must dive #2. If you want to take the easy way (planning-wise), use the ship’s dive op, which is Anthony’s Key, and I’ve heard they’re good. Barefoot is mentioned a lot as well. We hooked up with West End Divers the last time for a 2 tank dive. Their dock and boats are literally a few steps across the little dirt road, and they have rinse tanks and showers. So dang convenient. They can organize a driver for you and while we were diving, the driver took our parents for a tour around the island and lunch. We also got partly certified there a few years ago off a cruise ship as well, so this was actually our 3rd time diving with them. Last trip, my dive computer battery died and they changed it for me no charge!

Cozumel - must dive #1. I would use Tres Pelicanos as their shop is a quick walk from Punta Langosta. They also happen to be one of Scubaboard’s favourites. They have two trips daily, one in the morning at 8am and one in the afternoon at 1:30pm. I don’t know when you’re docking but we didn’t dock until 11am so we met their 1:30pm trip and was back in time for the ship. No rushing! They drive you back from the marina and let you off at the entrance to the port. If you are a pretty new diver, I would consider hiring a private DM. FWIW, I have since become a land-based customer of this shop.

 

[Trailboss123]

Concur with @Dogbowl that I would prioritize Cozumel as my #1 place to dive and Roatan as my #2 place to dive. I would probably focus on mom and take other excursions in the other 2 ports. I would also concur to use the dive boat operator (Anthony Key's) for the Roatan dives. As for a dive operator on Cozumel, it is really going to come down to finding one that accommodate your schedule. If you are able to get out on afternoon dives (1:30pm departure and return around 5pm), then you have lots of choices. If you want to try and get out closer to the time that your boat docks, then you will need to make some arrangements with a dive op that can work with your schedule.

 

[bobroo]

Let me throw my 2 cents in:

Roatan: Yes, you defiantly want to dive here and my personal opinion; there are some very good reasons to go with the ships dive operator, Anthony Key's. As a dive op, they do a very good job. So for the convenience, it's worth the extra few bucks to schedule through the ship.

Cozumel: Yes, you defiantly want to dive here too. Going with the ships excursion, IMO, is an absolute NO! There are too many other dive ops that are cheaper, will have fewer divers, better overall experience, and let's face it, is not a drift dive in Coz the absolute easiest dive you will ever do in your life? Too good not to miss! Too many good dive operators!

Doctor Dive in Mahahual: a solid dive shop! a great alternative to what ever the ship offers! As others have said, a great opportunity for a diver/non-diver to head into town and have two different experiences very close to one another. I did the 1 tank afternoon Lionfish hunt with them last December. It worked out well with our ships arrival, some shopping, some food, and some beers. I can provide more details on exactly how our dive went but it's better with a picture

the ceviche that the neighbor of Doctor Dive makes of your lion fish is DELICIOSO!!!

 

[kprudge]

Thank you for the replies and pics! I will start making contacts!

...and I updated my profile. I am still not as experienced as most scuba-boarders, but I am pretty solid.

 

[Altamira]

For Costa Maya, another good dive shop to consider is Dreamtime Divers, and there is a very nice beach across the road from their dive shop that your Mom could enjoy while you dive, if you decide to dive there.

 

[bobroo]

Thank you for the replies and pics! I will start making contacts!

...and I updated my profile. I am still not as experienced as most scuba-boarders, but I am pretty solid.

Couple quick notes: Scuba diving can make a great compliment to cruising. Diving experience is one part of the equation, cruising experience is also important. Knowing how the ship works, where they dock, what the ports are like, etc. etc. are all equally important when enhancing your cruise vacation with scuba diving. You are on the right track and are asking the correct questions and concerns. Good job. In return, when you get back; please report back to us here and tell us how it went and what you did. It will help someone else in the same position.

Any diving that you do at any of these ports is going to be well within your capabilities. Typically dive operators aren't going to bring a fresh face to a difficult or technical dive if they have never seen you before.

Oh yeah, a shout out to Dreamtime Divers. Although I did not dive with them their operation is just as cute and charming as their website indicates. They were very pleasant to me me I walked by and I have no reason to not believe any of their many positive online reviews.