Honeymoon!

lls31

Crossing my fingers that TK actually posts this.  I tried 3 times last week and TK ate it every time...

FI and I booked our honeymoon on New Year's Day!  FI found an amazing cruise back in November and we mulled it over for a while, making sure we definitely wanted to do it.  The itinerary was just too good to pass up, so on NYE, we decided that we'd book it.

We'll be leaving on November 4th (out of Tampa) and heading to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Grand Cayman.  We're both so excited!

Anyway, the point of my post is to see if any of you have been to any of these places before.  I'd love to hear some recommendations as to what to do at each stop!  

amymaysa

I have been on a cruise to all 4 places out of miami...Loved the trip.
We took a cave, river tour in Belize that was awesome and unqiue. We just went to the beach in Roatan, and it was nice. The port there is tiny and surrounded by fences and police (at least it was in 2006). That was a sight I wasn't expecting.
We just walked around Cozumel and shopped and ate. We did a booze cruise that night and I got felt up at Senor Frogs...awesome! NOT!
Grand Cayman was nice too.

have fun!

lls31

Thanks for the tips!  

The Roatan port sounds similar to Haiti with the fences and police.  We stopped there on a cruise a few years ago and I was very uncomfortable.  It was beautiful, but I didn't feel safe.  Hopefully Roatan doesn't give off the same vibe...

ohsoashley

In Cozumel we went to Xcaret. Its like a natural waterpark thing. There is an underground river that you can swim through that is awesome. There's beaches, natural pools and beaches to snorkel in, lots of animals, it was a lot of fun.
I've also been to Cozumel and did the ruins there. Super amazing and huge.
In Belize, we saw Mayan ruins and did a tour around the city. The ruins were neat because we could actually climb on them.
In Roatan, we just relaxed on the beach. They have this "magic chair" (like a ski lift) that takes you to the beach and you just relax, swim, and enjoy the gorgeous scenery.
In Grand Cayman I swam with stingrays. They take you out to a sand bar and they are just there in the wild and you swim with them. We also did a snorkeling tour thing at a nearby reef. Definitely an awesome experience.

:-)
FI and I booked an eastern caribbean cruise for our HM. We live in FL and its super easy to get to port.
You'll have an amazing time! We love cruising.

lls31

Thanks for the tips!  A friend of mine mentioned the stingray thing too, but I'm not sure I could handle that.  Haha.  I think I would be terrified the entire time.

Where are you going for your HM cruise?  This will be my 4th cruise, FI's 3rd.  We love cruising as well!

We usually leave from NJ when we go on cruises - about an hour to an hour and a half drive.  This will be the first time flying to a departure port.  Luckily, we've both been to Tampa a gazillion times for work, so we know our way around very well.  So that won't be an issue.  I just hope we don't experience any flight delays or anything like that!

ChristineM1020

i second xcaret. that place is AMAZING! It is in playa del carmen but you can book as an excursion on your cruise. just remember to book that early in the cruise or beforehand because it ALWAYS sells out.

Grand Cayman has amazing shopping for super cheap, esp jewelery.

Your going to have a great time. what cruise line are you going on?

bootsandgames

I've never been to any of those places but it sounds awesome! Congrats on getting it booked!

lls31

I Googled Xcaret last night and it looks pretty amazing.  We'll have to check that out.

We're cruising with Carnival this time.  It will be our first time with them.  We usually do Royal Caribbean.  I've heard mixed reviews about Carnival, but we're okay with that.  The itinerary was too good to pass up!

amymaysa

We did the swimming with the sting rays..it freaked me out a bit, so I didn't last long!
Roatan gave off a kinda scary vibe, but we were on a bus, so I felt safe.

ohsoashley

We are going to St Maarten, St Thomas, Princess Cays and Grand Turks.
I have never been eastern caribbean so i am excited.
I was scared to death of the sting rays! But it was a blast. I had an underwater camera and took amazing pictures! It ended up being a lot of fun.

lls31

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_november-2012-weddings_honeymoon-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:46c2f53c-680c-4532-aa96-4cca92890b59Discussion:84fd7cd7-2857-4aba-8424-8075df697781Post:2e4a6c66-47d7-4df1-b5a2-7cba0fdd50cf">Re: Honeymoon!</a>:
[QUOTE]We are going to St Maarten, St Thomas, Princess Cays and Grand Turks. I have never been eastern caribbean so i am excited. I was scared to death of the sting rays! But it was a blast. I had an underwater camera and took amazing pictures! It ended up being a lot of fun.
Posted by ohsoashley[/QUOTE]

<div>In St Thomas, Magen's Bay is GORGEOUS.  I highly recommend going there.  Also, if you happen to take the sky ride to Paradise Point, be sure to try a Bush Wacker.  It's like an alcoholic milkshake.  Most delicious drink ever.</div><div>
</div><div>Here's a shot from Magen's Bay:</div><div>
</div><div style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/13/14/9d02c1c1-5b9e-46fd-8e18-204b7827f89f.medium.jpg" alt="" /></div>

littlelibra16

Stingrays are totally gentle - I definitely recommend doing it.

I've been to all those places except Grand Cayman.  If you like zip lining or want to try it, the zip lining in Belize is fantastic.

Roatan is kind of a hole - I'd stick with a water sport type-thing because the water and beach is pretty.  Snorkel, or jet ski, or something. 

Cozumel I have done the ruins.  Really awesome.  But a far trip, and the boat you need to take to the mainland can be a very tough, rough trip, depending on weather.  The other thing I did on a different cruise just a few months ago was the "Amazing Race Cozumel."  If you like the tv show the Amazing Race, it's like running a leg of it.  You need to be the kind of person who likes to get exhausted running around, but it is really really fun, and you get to see the actual city as opposed to just the beach.

Don't be worried about doing Carnival.  It is active, young and really fun.  We are in our early thirties and we had a blast.  Much more so than on Norweigan.  It's basically a more informal version of Royal Carribbean (which we also liked alot). Let me know if you have any specific questions.  I'm a big cruiser

lls31

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_november-2012-weddings_honeymoon-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:46c2f53c-680c-4532-aa96-4cca92890b59Discussion:84fd7cd7-2857-4aba-8424-8075df697781Post:05e126cd-3e12-42f2-ac8c-c192fda4bd9d">Re: Honeymoon!</a>:
[QUOTE]Stingrays are totally gentle - I definitely recommend doing it. I've been to all those places except Grand Cayman.  If you like zip lining or want to try it, the zip lining in Belize is fantastic. Roatan is kind of a hole - I'd stick with a water sport type-thing because the water and beach is pretty.  Snorkel, or jet ski, or something.  Cozumel I have done the ruins.  Really awesome.  But a far trip, and the boat you need to take to the mainland can be a very tough, rough trip, depending on weather.  The other thing I did on a different cruise just a few months ago was the "Amazing Race Cozumel."  If you like the tv show the Amazing Race, it's like running a leg of it.  You need to be the kind of person who likes to get exhausted running around, but it is really really fun, and you get to see the actual city as opposed to just the beach. Don't be worried about doing Carnival.  It is active, young and really fun.  We are in our early thirties and we had a blast.  Much more so than on Norweigan.  It's basically a more informal version of Royal Carribbean (which we also liked alot). Let me know if you have any specific questions.  I'm a big cruiser :)
Posted by littlelibra16[/QUOTE]

This is great!  Thank you! 

We're both dying to go zip lining so we'll definitely check that out. Did you do it through the cruise or on your own?

When you say that Carnival is more informal, will I be really out of place if I wear gowns on the formal nights?  I've always worn gowns on cruises in the past, just because it's nice to dress up (and it's also nice to be able to re-wear bridesmaid dresses!). 

littlelibra16

Hi!  The zip lining you book through the cruise.  Carnival has a shore excursions tab that will pop up on your version of the website when you log in after you book.  Just go to the Belize excursions and you should be able to see them.  It's been awhile so I don't remember if you can do it through the website or if you have to call, but you will be able to determine that easily once you log in.

You can totally wear formal gowns on the formal nights.  Most people do (we definitely did).  I think by informal what I meant is that people on Carnival tend to be really social, and willing to do silly things like go to towel animal classes and loud trivia competition sessions, and everything just seems very light hearted, if that makes sense.  Hard to explain, it just feels like a really chill experience to me.  But I think you will like it because people get into the activities.  In contrast, I found that on Norwegian people treated the ship more like a floating hotel and kept to themselves.  That just wasn't me, anyway.

We booked our honeymoon today!  I'm so excited   We are going to Australia.  I've dreamed of going there forever.  I can't believe it is going to actually happen!

lls31

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_november-2012-weddings_honeymoon-2?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:46c2f53c-680c-4532-aa96-4cca92890b59Discussion:84fd7cd7-2857-4aba-8424-8075df697781Post:2c24d001-b86c-4893-9abb-ef7cf3254279">Re: Honeymoon!</a>:
[QUOTE]Hi!  The zip lining you book through the cruise.  Carnival has a shore excursions tab that will pop up on your version of the website when you log in after you book.  Just go to the Belize excursions and you should be able to see them.  It's been awhile so I don't remember if you can do it through the website or if you have to call, but you will be able to determine that easily once you log in. You can totally wear formal gowns on the formal nights.  Most people do (we definitely did).  I think by informal what I meant is that people on Carnival tend to be really social, and willing to do silly things like go to towel animal classes and loud trivia competition sessions, and everything just seems very light hearted, if that makes sense.  Hard to explain, it just feels like a really chill experience to me.  But I think you will like it because people get into the activities.  In contrast, I found that on Norwegian people treated the ship more like a floating hotel and kept to themselves.  That just wasn't me, anyway. We booked our honeymoon today!  I'm so excited :)  We are going to Australia.  I've dreamed of going there forever.  I can't believe it is going to actually happen!
Posted by littlelibra16[/QUOTE]

<div>We've booked some excursions online before, but I wasn't sure if we should do the zip lining through Carnival or through a private vendor.  I read some reviews and some people mentioned it was better to do it through the private vendors.  That makes me nervous though.</div><div>
</div><div>I am so jealous of your honeymoon!  I've always wanted to go to Australia as well.  Maybe some day...  You have to be sure to post pictures!</div>