Free things to do in ocho rios jamaica, grand cayman, cozumel mexico cruise ports?

Question

in june 2008

Answer 1

As you will be arriving by cruise ship, every vulture for miles around will be there to separate you from your money.  If you spent all your money on the cruise price and have no money, try walking around town.  Tell people "No" and mean it.  When they can't get your money the will leave you alone.  In Ochi, head left once you get to the main drag.  In Georgetown, head into the back streets across from the port.  Never been and have no desire for Cozumel.

Answer 2

For lots of great info about all cruise ports, go to CruiseCritic.com, click on "Boards", then "Ports of Call".

I have been to all three of these ports and it depends on what you mean by "free".  You will need transportation to almost anywhere on these three stops, so it won't be completely "free".  However, here are some "cheap" suggestions:

In Ocho, DO NOT try to go anywhere on your own by just "grabbing a cab", unless you are very adventurous and can deal with people hassleing you to buy things [legal and not].  You could walk over to Island Village [literally a five-minute walk to the right out of the port - and you will still be accosted most every step of the way!].  This is a limited-access [no vendors allowed] recreation of a Jamaican village - not at all authentic, of course, but it's a nice little group of shops, with steel bands, etc for entertainment.  There is also a Margaritaville there, which I wouldn't ordinarily recommend, but it has a decent beach with toys [buy a drink of any kind and get a wristband that lets you use them], small pool, hot tub, etc.  Nice way to spend a few hours and very easy to do.  Everyone will say you "must" go to Dunn's River Falls, and it is nice, but it will cost you to get there and to get in [water shoes a MUST].  I would go by catamaran from the ship's excursion if I were doing it again.

Grand Cayman is very easy and safe to do on your own.  If you want to spend absolutely no money, you can walk to your right [as you face the town] once you have tendered in.  About five minutes away is Eden Roc, where you can snorkel and sit and enjoy the sun - not beach-y here.  You can wander around the shops, which are right there across from the tender port.  You could walk in a couple of blocks and get a public bus that goes down past Seven Mile Beach and get off at Sea Grape or somewhere along there, or go all the way out to Cemetery Beach.  The beaches are free, but if you want a chair, etc, it will cost you a few bucks.  The thing you "MUST" do here is to swim with the stingrays, and you can also do this on your own.  There are several companies which are reliable:  Captain Marvin, Nativeway, etc.  [I've used both and liked both, but preferred, Nativeway - they have a trip that goes all the way to Rum Point.  That's rather far, and we did just make it back in time for the last tender to the ship, so it was a little nerve-wracking.  If you make reservations for either of these, be aware of the difference between "ship time" and "shore time" - they likely will be different.

Coz is also easy to do on your own.  If you want absolutely free, then, if you dock in the pier in town, you can just walk around the town and explore the shops - less crowded if you go in from the main drag a couple of blocks.  If you want to go to a beach, grab a cab and go.  The more popular beaches are south of town - Chankanaab Park and Paradise Beach are two popular ones.  Chank is really nice, but it's not free [they have a website - I think admission is something like $15].  A great website for planning a trip to Coz is Cozumelinsider.com.

The important thing to remember if you do go out on your own is:  MAKE SURE you leave enough time to get back to the ship - they will leave without you if you're late unless you're on a ship's tour.  Your daily newsletter will have the name/number of the cruise line's agent on shore - you should make sure you have this with you, along with a credit card and, your passport, in case you get left behind.  People disagree about taking your passport ashore, but if you get stranded, a copy won't get you on a plane out.

Have a great cruise!  And do go to Cruise Critic - it has great, reliable info.