{"id":14160,"date":"2019-01-13T07:15:06","date_gmt":"2019-01-13T14:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sixsuitcasetravel.com\/blog\/?p=14160"},"modified":"2023-10-21T17:46:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-21T23:46:06","slug":"tips-for-royal-caribbean-liberty-of-the-seas-shore-excursions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sixsuitcasetravel.com\/blog\/tips-for-royal-caribbean-liberty-of-the-seas-shore-excursions\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas Shore Excursions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As a family of six, we recently returned from a Western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean\u2019s Liberty of the Seas ship<\/a> to Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, and Falmouth, Jamaica. We had a blast on the ship<\/a> and enjoyed our onshore excursions too. Here I’ll share our experience on our three excursions and add some tips too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cozumel, Mexico<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico.\u00a0Since our kids have a wide age range (2-14), we wanted to go somewhere everyone would enjoy.\u00a0We chose Playa Mia<\/a>.\u00a0Playa Mia has a waterpark for toddlers, waterslides for older kids\/adults, a large pool, beach access, water \u201ctoys\u201d, and water sports (some included, some cost extra).\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We booked the excursion through the Royal Caribbean website. I always wait until the excursions are on sale to book, usually months before boarding the ship.\u00a0Check around major holidays for the best sales. I booked Playa Mia for 20% off this way.\u00a0Our 2-year-old was free, but we still added his name to our reservation.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Royal Caribbean will leave your tickets in your stateroom with the time and meeting place.\u00a0This particular excursion had a meeting place in a large hut at the end of the pier. Don\u2019t be nervous about finding your meeting place.\u00a0There are many friendly and helpful people there to show you where to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once our group was called, we boarded an air-conditioned bus and drove to Playa Mia.\u00a0There we were free to do whatever we wanted for the duration of the excursion. They gave us a meeting time to meet the bus where they dropped us off. It was very easy to figure out, even though we were first-timers there.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We walked past some shops (be careful, some things in the shops in Cozumel are obscene. Use discretion as you shop) before we arrived at the water park area.\u00a0They have restrooms and food available (either as part of your excursion or if you get the cheaper excursion like we did that does not include food, you can pay extra).\u00a0The lounge chairs were on the beach so we had to walk past the waterpark to get to where we could lay our belongings.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bought a waterproof fanny pack<\/a> (very stylish! \ud83d\ude42 ) and kept my passports, room keys (doubles as boarding passes), and money with me at all times.\u00a0They have life jackets available, but we brought our own for the little ones.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We had a blast building sand castles, paddle boating, enjoying the waterpark for kids, the waterslides for the older kids, and the giant pool.\u00a0We stayed there for about 5 hours.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We did not get the meal plan, but I did bring some prepackaged snacks for the kids. So, we were a little hungry by the time we were done. They have outdoor showers by the pool which is nice to clean off all the sand before your trip back to the ship.\u00a0But it was a wonderful, clean, safe place to visit for the day, and I will definitely go back in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We had borrowed towels from the ship and were able to return them when we reboarded which was nice to not have to worry about sandy towels in our room. I also brought a waterproof bag to hold my cell phone, so we were able to take pictures while we were there. We had an amazing day together as a family!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Georgetown, Grand Cayman<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our next stop was Georgetown, Grand Cayman.\u00a0This was the excursion we had all been waiting for.\u00a0The day we were finally able to swim with the gentle and beautiful stingrays at Stingray City! The tickets were also given to us in advance.\u00a0 We waited in the theater with hundreds of other people on various excursions.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand Cayman is a tender island, which means you have to take a small boat from the ship to shore.\u00a0Each boat only holds a certain amount of people, so we had to wait for one to be available. The cruise director actually called our group an hour late, but that did not make our excursion an hour shorter.\u00a0They just pushed everything back, so we didn’t miss out on anything.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When our group was called, we all boarded the boat. At the end of the pier,<\/g> there was a meeting place where we all gathered to wait for our bus.\u00a0Again, everything was clearly marked.\u00a0There is a restroom there that I encourage you to use (quickly) while you wait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then took a bus to a pier to board the boat that would take us about 20-30 minutes out to Stingray City.\u00a0The boat ride was beautiful and relaxing. They played island music which was nice.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do have some people in my family that get seasick, so I gave everyone bonine<\/g> (and children’s dramamine<\/g> for the little ones) before we boarded the tender boat. It didn\u2019t make us too drowsy and no one got sick! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we arrived at Stingray City, we stepped off the ladder into the crystal-clear water.\u00a0Seriously, I dropped my phone and it was so clear I could see to the bottom and pick it up. It also wasn\u2019t very deep for adults. Maybe 5\u2019 at its deepest. There were a ton of stingrays there. Well over 50. I was surprised there were so many.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The stingrays were very gentle. Despite what you may read online, they are wild stingrays and they DO have their barbs still attached.\u00a0They do not sting unless they feel threatened.\u00a0 But shuffle your feet and you don\u2019t have anything to worry about.\u00a0They come to you for food, which will be provided by the boat captain.\u00a0Even my 2-year-old loved petting these beautiful creatures. This was definitely the highlight of our trip! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I, again, brought the waterproof fanny pack and waterproof phone case<\/a>, so I was able to get some amazing pictures and videos.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t see the screen very well in the sun, so I just kept clicking away! They offered to sell you pictures that the boat crew took (around $150 for all), but they were not very good pictures, and I only wanted 1 which they refused to sell me alone. I\u2019m glad I brought my own camera! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the best excursion I have ever been on, and I would definitely do this excursion again! After an hour or so time with the stingrays, we took the boat back to the bus. Then, we were driven to Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman\u2019s most famous beach.\u00a0You can swim, eat, and relax there for 1.5 hours or so.\u00a0They also had a playground there for younger kids.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By this time, we were exhausted.\u00a0We decided not to wait the last hour (the sun was going down), and we took a taxi bus for $20 (for the 6 of us total), back to the ship on our own. We grabbed some pizza on the way back to our room and ate in the room, taking turns showering.\u00a0 We had an amazing day! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even in December and applying sunblock, we still burned.\u00a0Two days in the sun was rough for this pale girl! I made sure to bring plenty of Burt\u2019s Bees after sun care<\/a>, which always helps soothe my skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falmouth, Jamaica<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The third and last excursion I booked was a beach day in Falmouth, Jamaica.\u00a0 However, after 2 full days at the beach, I was fried.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We decided to cancel this excursion, which you can do for a refund at the Shore Excursion desk onboard 2 days before your excursion to get a full refund.\u00a0 This meant I canceled this after the first day in the sun (which I think burned me the most. I wore a shirt the next day with the stingrays).\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no problem getting a refund. I just had to make sure to bring my excursion tickets with me to return when I received the refund.\u00a0 Since our excursion was now canceled and we had never been to Jamaica before, we decided to walk around and look at the shops.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here are a couple of tips when visiting Jamaica, or another country: <\/p>\n\n\n\n