Going on a Cruise

[Jay Henley]

Cozumel. We usually bypass the ship sponsored excursions and grab a cab and go to Chakanaub State Park which is 2 or 3 miles down the road. you can rent snorkel gear there and they also have the swim with the dolphins area there. Nice beach area for swimming/snorkeling. I think you can also rent scuba gear there. lots of iguanas running around also.

[Fireball]

We've been to Cozumel twice and would highly recommend the Chakanaub State Park also. That's where we swam one-on-one with the dolphins, definitely worth the price but you can also do a group swim with your kids.

Our favorite restaurant (and one recommended by the cruise director) is Pancho's Backyard located clear at the end of the strip of shopping. You have to take a taxi anyway to get to the strip ($10 both ways a few years ago) so we always start there with lunch and then make our way back down the strip for shopping. We think it's THE best Mexican food anywhere!

Are you doing long-term parking at the pier? One year we went a day early and spent the night at a motel along the pier and they had the option of leaving our car there the whole trip. The last time we went we did the long-term parking right across from the boat. The only thing to remember about either is make sure you have NO snacks/food packages/etc. left in your car while you're gone. When we returned ants found their way in our car and were all over the floorboards, yuck!

[bgpro611]

We just got back two weeks ago; we go every year. A tripod is useless on the ship due to vibration although I did bring a small one a few years ago in Key West. Got a great night shot of the ship at the pier. This year I took a D-700, D-300, and a Olympus EP-1, used them all. The D-700 on the ship, the D-300 in Roatan. For lens a 14-25, 17-55, 24-70 and a 17mm for the Olympus. In Cozumel I only took the EP-1 into town and it worked out great. I use a Pelican roller bag to get my gear on the boat and a backpack on shore. There are plenty of great photo ops in every port; ruins or people there is plenty to shoot. Also there are supervised areas for kids on board if you need some private time. Room service is also included, a handy thing to remember if you have kids. Take some Dramimine; you never know. We booked a Thanksgiving cruise while we were on board this year and got a minor discount. You are going to have a Great time. But remember when you don't spend cash on board its easy to lose track of your bar tab. It adds up.
Also you can take as many bags as you want, there is no limit. We normally have 6 for the two of us one of which is my Pelican.