flyhimd
Registered
Two of us from Maryland will be on this same cruise (12/16, Legend of the Seas). We'll be diving in every port (at least that's the intent) and after doing some research, the plan so far is:
Cayman: we'll be going with http://www.diversdown.net and probably doing an afternoon two-tank dive which will offer plenty of time to return to ship. I plan to contact them by e-mail during the next couple days. Divers Down comes highly recommended from the place I got my OW "ground school" in Washington, DC (http://www.scubaedu.com) which runs monthly cert trips to Cayman. Not interested in Stingray City (a tourist trap) for this trip; maybe some day, but not while on a cruise. Would rather do wall diving in Cayman.
Belize: sticking with the Royal Caribbean shore excursion for this port. A previous tip on this board led me to that conclusion...basically the time in port vs. distance to dive locations is the factor to consider. In Belize, the dive operator picks up the cruise passengers right at the ship, so you don't have to go to shore by tender.
Cozumel: haven't decided yet...too many choices and options, and with the cruise ship in port until 11pm, plenty to think about. Last year, we walked into town on a whim while on another Royal Caribbean cruise and found Scuba Staff Divers (http://www.scubastaffdivers.net), a small shop located on one of the back streets. We did their Intro to Scuba course (which they conducted basically as a two-tank dive), and we're now hooked on diving. They have boats outside of town, and use local taxis (they cover the cost) to transport you to and from the docks. I think a night dive in Cozumel would be worthwhile and very unique, and am going to research that a bit more to make sure to find a good operator. It's important to have a real good operator/divemaster for a night dive or things can get dicy fast with the currents. I did a night dive up the road in Cancun and it was not pleasant...it should have been done as a drift dive, but the divemaster had us fighting a very strong current the entire time, it was a shallow (40 ft) reef used heavily for OW certification and novice dives (i.e., very battered and bruised), and there was a lot of surge...enough to preclude any real photography. I don't want to repeat that maladventure in Cozumel.
Mahahaul/Costa Maya: havn't decided yet. This "town" is pretty interesting...it's just a seafront strip of a handful of small shops and outdoor makeshift bars...a real Corona commercial set. It's only a couple miles from the artificial Mexican theme village they created for the cruise ships (quite pathetic). I was hearing cautiously good things about Blue Ocean Safari, but a recent post on this board (just search for that name) was not encouraging. Another post was pretty good. There only seem to be three operators there. More research needed. Maybe will forego this port and just swim or snorkel.
A Must Do: Cruise Critic has "Roll Calls" (discussion threads) for each ship and sailing date; there's a thread for Legend of the Seas 12/16 trip. There's something called "Meet and Mingles." It's a way to get to know people before the cruise, and if they get 25 people (they have 22 signed up), Royal Caribbean will host a party for the group. Definitely sign up and keep in touch.
Cayman: we'll be going with http://www.diversdown.net and probably doing an afternoon two-tank dive which will offer plenty of time to return to ship. I plan to contact them by e-mail during the next couple days. Divers Down comes highly recommended from the place I got my OW "ground school" in Washington, DC (http://www.scubaedu.com) which runs monthly cert trips to Cayman. Not interested in Stingray City (a tourist trap) for this trip; maybe some day, but not while on a cruise. Would rather do wall diving in Cayman.
Belize: sticking with the Royal Caribbean shore excursion for this port. A previous tip on this board led me to that conclusion...basically the time in port vs. distance to dive locations is the factor to consider. In Belize, the dive operator picks up the cruise passengers right at the ship, so you don't have to go to shore by tender.
Cozumel: haven't decided yet...too many choices and options, and with the cruise ship in port until 11pm, plenty to think about. Last year, we walked into town on a whim while on another Royal Caribbean cruise and found Scuba Staff Divers (http://www.scubastaffdivers.net), a small shop located on one of the back streets. We did their Intro to Scuba course (which they conducted basically as a two-tank dive), and we're now hooked on diving. They have boats outside of town, and use local taxis (they cover the cost) to transport you to and from the docks. I think a night dive in Cozumel would be worthwhile and very unique, and am going to research that a bit more to make sure to find a good operator. It's important to have a real good operator/divemaster for a night dive or things can get dicy fast with the currents. I did a night dive up the road in Cancun and it was not pleasant...it should have been done as a drift dive, but the divemaster had us fighting a very strong current the entire time, it was a shallow (40 ft) reef used heavily for OW certification and novice dives (i.e., very battered and bruised), and there was a lot of surge...enough to preclude any real photography. I don't want to repeat that maladventure in Cozumel.
Mahahaul/Costa Maya: havn't decided yet. This "town" is pretty interesting...it's just a seafront strip of a handful of small shops and outdoor makeshift bars...a real Corona commercial set. It's only a couple miles from the artificial Mexican theme village they created for the cruise ships (quite pathetic). I was hearing cautiously good things about Blue Ocean Safari, but a recent post on this board (just search for that name) was not encouraging. Another post was pretty good. There only seem to be three operators there. More research needed. Maybe will forego this port and just swim or snorkel.
A Must Do: Cruise Critic has "Roll Calls" (discussion threads) for each ship and sailing date; there's a thread for Legend of the Seas 12/16 trip. There's something called "Meet and Mingles." It's a way to get to know people before the cruise, and if they get 25 people (they have 22 signed up), Royal Caribbean will host a party for the group. Definitely sign up and keep in touch.
