1st RCCL cruise / Oasis / Falmouth & Cozumel excursions Qs

trackchik6

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Hi! I was excited to find this RCCL board here! I have only been on one cruise before and it was a three night Disney dream cruise out of Port Canaveral. At that time my kids were 7, and almost 5, and almost 2. Now they’ll be 11, 9, and 6 on the RCCL cruise.

We loved the Disney Cruise but in general my husband and I were underwhelmed by the on ship pools and the line for Aquaduck. Any thoughts on whether the pool / slides on Oasis will be an improvement over that?

We are not planning to buy drink / food packages but we do have $250 in on board credits that I was thinking we could use for drink / food.

Finally I was wondering if anyone has any advice on excursions for kids ages 11, 9, and 6. We will stop at Labadee, Falmouth, and Cozumel. In Labadee, I am thinking we will mainly hang at the beach (though I’m still trying to figure out which area beach we should head to that is not rocky) and probably pay for the kids to do the inflatables if they want and maybe a coaster or slide. My oldest does like to kayak so I would do that with him if he wants. Do you approve? :)

In Falmouth is where I don’t know what we are going to do. I am interested in Blue Hole but it’s a long bus ride and I am wondering how it would be for my 6 year old. The other thing I am considering instead is a day pass to a resort. Thoughts?

Finally in Cozumel, I am seriously considering this excursion: https://www.shoretrips.com/excursio.../private-jeep-jade-cavern-and-beach-adventure. And, I am wondering if we are really in port for 12 hours, if we can do that trip in the AM AND still get to a beach club in the PM. I suppose for beach clubs I am considering Nachi Cocom, Mr Santos, and Playa Mia. We are traveling during a popular spring break time so I am wondering if Nachi Cocom would be our best option since I read they limit the # of people who can enter?! Idk, I’ve never been to Cozumel.

Thanks so much for reading & any advice!! Sorry so long.
 
We loved the Disney Cruise but in general my husband and I were underwhelmed by the on ship pools and the line for Aquaduck. Any thoughts on whether the pool / slides on Oasis will be an improvement over that?
The new kids area on Oasis looks great! I think the slides might have a line but the nature of waterslides (vs a tube ride like Aquaduck) is that they move fairly quickly, unless they've got a toilet bowl slide.

We are not planning to buy drink / food packages but we do have $250 in on board credits that I was thinking we could use for drink / food.
I tend to look at OBC as funds to pay for gratuities first. Current gratuities are $14.50 pp/pn (+3 for the Grand Suites and above) so that's about $508 for your party of 5. So for me, I'd look at is as getting a head start on paying gratuities.

Finally I was wondering if anyone has any advice on excursions for kids ages 11, 9, and 6. We will stop at Labadee, Falmouth, and Cozumel. In Labadee, I am thinking we will mainly hang at the beach (though I’m still trying to figure out which area beach we should head to that is not rocky) and probably pay for the kids to do the inflatables if they want and maybe a coaster or slide. My oldest does like to kayak so I would do that with him if he wants. Do you approve? :)
In Labadee, there is a kids area on the main beach, which faces out to the sea. However I do find that beach to be a bit rocky. My usual recommendation is to take the (free) one-way water taxi over to Columbus Cove, which is less rocky and usually has calmer water. There are less people at the food station here so that is also a bonus. However you will need to either walk back to the ship or take the tram.

Also, if you're looking at doing the inflatables they are at Columbus Cove.

In Falmouth is where I don’t know what we are going to do. I am interested in Blue Hole but it’s a long bus ride and I am wondering how it would be for my 6 year old. The other thing I am considering instead is a day pass to a resort. Thoughts?
I do believe there are some day passes for (relatively) nearby beach clubs so it's worth looking into. I've only done Dunns River Falls here, and haven't left the secure area my other two trips to Falmouth so I'm not much help.

Finally in Cozumel, I am seriously considering this excursion: https://www.shoretrips.com/excursio.../private-jeep-jade-cavern-and-beach-adventure. And, I am wondering if we are really in port for 12 hours, if we can do that trip in the AM AND still get to a beach club in the PM. I suppose for beach clubs I am considering Nachi Cocom, Mr Santos, and Playa Mia. We are traveling during a popular spring break time so I am wondering if Nachi Cocom would be our best option since I read they limit the # of people who can enter?! Idk, I’ve never been to Cozumel.
For Cozumel, if you're planning on doing an excursion for most of the day, I don't think it's worth your time to go to an all inclusive. Say you do the 8:30 tour (which if I'm reading things right, you can make as you'll arrive there 8am local time/9am EDT), you'll wrap up around 2pm local. At that point you've got 5 hours before departure. So realistically you've got 4.5 hours max before you make your way back to the ship. But if you're still looking to hit a beach club, I think you might want to look at El Cid or Park Royal (within walking distance of the port) or Paradise Beach ($3 plus $10 minimum charge, plus taxi). I don't think crowds will be a factor as by 2-3pm people will start heading back to their ships.
 
@starvenger thank you so much for the advice and good info!!! I really appreciate it <3. Noted on my beach plans in Cozumel in particular - you make very good points!! Thanks again!
 


I've been actually going to the RCBlog forums of late. A little partisan towards Royal (go figure) but still a good resource.
 
I recommend only 1 excursion per port, even on long port days. In Falmouth, we have done Dunns River Falls, a tubing adventure, and an all inclusive resort for a day. I recommend the resort for a day, especially with a 6 year old unless your family is super adventurous.

After 25+ cruises, Oasis has been our favorite. I hope your family loves it as well. We really enjoyed the shows and movies in the Aqua Theater and the ice show. The pools and hot tubs are much more usable than DCL, plus the rock wall and lots more kid friendly activities. If you like steakhouses, I recommend buying a 3nt dining package for 2 adults (and maybe 1 kid, the others can share with you, eat regular kids meals for free or specialty for half off). We LOVE the upgraded dining offerings and found them more than worth the cost.
 
@DisMommyTX : “I recommend only 1 excursion per port, even on long port days.” Hehe that is probably actually very good advice and probably should have been obvious to me!! Thanks!

Of any upgrades, I am considering dining!!

Thanks again everyone!!
 


Two of our best EVER excursions were with RCI. From Falmouth we went tubing down the Rio Bueno (twice). It was a blast! First time we did it my daughter was 7 - it really is for all ages and so much fun. Loved swinging from a rope into the water. On Cozumel we did the Baby Turtle Release. We dug the babies that were buried in the sand and released them into the sea. We loved it!

Other excursions on Cozumel: we love Chankanaab Beach Cozumel. We've been there twice. It's easy to book on your own. Grab a cab and go - plenty of cabs to get you back to the ship as well. First time we did the Royal Dolphin Swim and loved it. Second time we did a swim with a sea lion. Chankanaab is a great place to spend the day. After your encounter (and included with the entrance fee) is a sea lion show, a pool, great beach with chairs/huts/hammocks, and snorkeling. A casual lunch or a buffet lunch is available. You don't have to do any of the dolphin/sea lion encounters. You can just go to the beach and still use all the amenities mentioned above and see the sea lion show. It's really a great place to spend a full day. We've been twice and still haven't explored it all. https://www.dolphindiscovery.com/cozumel/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=mybusiness

We've also gone to Paradise Beach twice. LOVE their pool. Great beach and food. Not very crowded. Again we just took a taxi there and back.
 
I suppose for beach clubs I am considering Nachi Cocom, Mr Santos, and Playa Mia. We are traveling during a popular spring break time so I am wondering if Nachi Cocom would be our best option since I read they limit the # of people who can enter?! Idk, I’ve never been to Cozumel.

Every time we've gone to Cozumel (and only this upcoming cruise), we've gone to Nachi. It has never felt crowded to us. The limits on the # of people is great. We didn't have to fight for chairs or umbrellas. We also experienced awesome service. Oh wow, it's a lot of food and drink you get.

The one thing I did not like (if I had to pick one thing) is they do have a sign restricting the hot tub to adults only. I have a child and were traveling with another family that has children that are hot tub freaks.

The pool is, however, open to all and awesome.
 
We have gone to Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel. It was awesome. The food was great. They have shrimp like 10 different ways. The drinks are a bit weak, but taste really good, especially the tamarind margaritas.
 
Thanks again for the advice everyone!! I appreciate it so much. I am still super into the RC trip but if you can believe it I am running my first RunDisney race - Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon next weekend!!! First 1/2 marathon post kids (ages 10, 8, and 5 now, haha).
 
Finally in Cozumel, I am seriously considering this excursion: https://www.shoretrips.com/excursio.../private-jeep-jade-cavern-and-beach-adventure. And, I am wondering if we are really in port for 12 hours, if we can do that trip in the AM AND still get to a beach club in the PM. I suppose for beach clubs I am considering Nachi Cocom, Mr Santos, and Playa Mia. We are traveling during a popular spring break time so I am wondering if Nachi Cocom would be our best option since I read they limit the # of people who can enter?! Idk, I’ve never been to Cozumel.


One thing to note for Cozumel...Nachi closes at 5pm unless you are on a ship that arrives after noon so that might not be your best bet if you want to do something else in the morning. It is my top pick, however, if you want a full day resort pass. We have loved it in the past!
 
I suppose for beach clubs I am considering Nachi Cocom, Mr Santos, and Playa Mia. We are traveling during a popular spring break time so I am wondering if Nachi Cocom would be our best option since I read they limit the # of people who can enter?! Idk, I’ve never been to Cozumel.
Have lost count of the number of times we’ve enjoy Nachi Cocum :). Can’t say I’ve seen many younger children there. It’s quiet and laid back.

Went to Playa Mia when younger kids along for activities. Not a fan of the party boat crowd that docks there, so noisy

Last i checked you could do Mr santos on an ala carte basis.

We are pretty intrepid travelers but Falmouth isn’t a port I’d walk more than a block or so back. We arranged for transportation to an AI private resort, had a nice day there. Were surprised to see 3 levels of security guards patrolling the beaches to keep the locals from getting aggressive selling their wares. Appreciated it but still found it rather off putting. A shame the economic conditions are such as they are there.
 
In Falmouth is where I don’t know what we are going to do. I am interested in Blue Hole but it’s a long bus ride and I am wondering how it would be for my 6 year old. The other thing I am considering instead is a day pass to a resort. Thoughts?

Blue hole is by far the most fun that we've had on any excursion in the dozen or so cruises I've done. It's a lot of cliff jumping. From puddle jumps to 20 foot+ cliff jumps. If that's your thing, by all means do it.

That being said, no way in hell I'd take my kid there. You take vans back in the woods/mountains and get passed off to local guides. It's a real sketchy area. Like my wife got off the main path and there were guys with machetes. On the trip back, we got stopped by some locals wanting to sell brownies and other things. So, no, not for the kids or if you are skittish in unfamiliar situations. I would do it again in a heartbeat though. lol

I will say we did a private tour and not a RCL excursion, so I'm sure that affected the sketchiness of it. But unless you are not planning on leaving your kids on the ship, I'd look at something else. Jamaica overall is not very safe feeling. It's not somewhere you want to walk around and explore. The port area shops are fine, but I wouldn't go outside the gate unless you are on a tour, or a shuttle going somewhere specific. Even just grabbing a random cab can be bad as they try to up-sell you to tours and are pretty insistent.

The two things I think are your best bet are either just get a day pass at a resort, or go to Dunn's River Falls. Dunn's is a lot of fun. Theres lots of people there, would be fine for kids as long as they are fine climbing rocks in water, and a ship based tour would have a solid guide to make sure everything goes well. It's something I say people should do at least once.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top