We are still on a high from our Carnival Cruise through the western Carribean! Thank you to Carnival Cruise for hosting us on the Carnival Breeze. I wasn't really sure what to expect since it was our first time on a cruise ship, but once you live through it you quickly learn what you should have done, so I'm going to share all of my tips and the things that made me think "I should have done this!" My biggest tip would be to book the excursions in advanced, and from the cruise line. Once you leave the ship and venture out into the port of call there are literally dozens of people asking you if you want to buy this or go here and honestly, it can be a little stressful. If you want to avoid all of that I would just suggest you go with the excursions they offer through the ship, they usually include food, transportation, and a day packed with amazing activities!
Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel had the most beautiful beaches & the best food! We didn't book any excursions because we thought we were going to be frugal and explore on our own. We are both Spanish speakers and it was easier for us to get deals & communicate with the locals to find out what the best places to go were. We walked about 6 miles to and from downtown, ate at an amazing restaurant, browsed through the market & passed through a few beaches. It was raining for about most of the day so we were drenched, but if you are going in the fall remember to pack an umbrella because it is the rainy season for them! The water was the clearest and the freshest of all the locations we stopped at on this cruise. If we would have booked an excursion I feel like we would have enjoyed the beach way more, and I would have avoided the stress of having to say no to all of the vendors on the street!
Belize City, Belize
Belize City is a tourist town, and you won't get anywhere outside of this tourist city without a tour guide. We toured the city for $40 but never really got off of the bus they had us on, our tour guide was really transparent and showed us the wealthy and poor side of the city. The waters around the port are so shallow that the Cruise ship has to anchor about 5 miles away from the dock and a separate boat takes you to the dock. Belize City also doesn't have any natural beaches, and the water is a little dark when it rains. The beaches in Belize are on little islands that you need to take charter boats to small islands called Cayes. This is a stop on the cruise that unless you booked an excursion then I wouldn't advise you get down. There's not a lot you can do besides buy souvenirs or pay $60 to go to a man-made beach. This was probably my least favorite stop, and I wish we had booked an excursion to see either the jungle or experience the beaches in Belize!
Mahogany Bay, Roatan Island
Mahogany Bay was the easiest port out of all them to just get off the boat and enjoy the beach! As soon as you walk off the boat it's a short walk to the most relaxing beach ever. I highly suggest buying a fresh coconut here, I was so addicted to them, also once you're done you can ask if the coconut has any meat inside and they'll cut it out for you free of charge! We rented an umbrella, ate lunch and enjoyed the beach all day here. At this point I didn't have any energy to explore, I just wanted to sit back, relax, and de-stress. Mila didn't want to get out of the water, she literally had the time of her life. We ended up taking a nap under the palm trees!
What destination are you most excited to visit? Book your cruise now!