Mexico has always been a "no way" for my husband and I as we have started traveling more with the kids. I have never been to Mexico, and I think he went maybe 20-30 years ago, but just in general it doesn't seem safe at all.
So we are prepared to book our cruise for next January and are looking at two options. We like to go just after the New Year, because the prices drop to where we can afford it for a family of 5. Which choice would you take below:
Option 1:
Carnival Breeze, 8 night Southern Carbbean with stops at St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortola, and Grand Turks. Our cruise last year was Carnival and stopped at St. Thomas and Grand Turk...so only two ports would be new, but at St. Thomas this time we would do the excursion to St. John.
Option 2:
Disney Fantasy, 7 night Western Caribbean with stops at Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay. All are new ports and it's Disney...which we are not pressed on, but it would be nice to do while the kids are still kind of young.
Have you cruised to Mexico or would you with kids? Next year they will be 11, 9, and 7. The Disney cruise is almost exactly $1000 more, but we have heard it may be worth it for the experience on Disney.
Thank you all so much. It sounds like the Disney one is looking better and better.
Susan - we were also not very impressed at our stop in Nassau last year. Next time we would spring the $ for an excursion I think if we end up going back there. I only liked it because it reminded me of Bermuda where I lived for 3 years...the colorful buildings at least did.
MEXICO!!!
While I've not been with kids? I'd rather do something NEW than something where only two would be new!
Cozumel is beautiful - well - all of it is beautiful! Since it's not on the western coast - it's safe!!
Have a blast!
I love southern Careibbean. That being said Disney cruises are the absolute best. Certainly woth the extra $1,000 IMO. Those ports are all good.
Typical ports, shopping restaurants. Grand Cayman expensive so eat on ship. Disney food is awesome. There are a few good excursions that the kids might enjoy.
So Disney to Western Carib would be my recommendation!!!!
Option 2. The kids will enjoy the Disney cruise so much more. Plus the options for adventures in those ports would be exciting to our kiddos. I'd do the Disney every time if I were taking the kids. They are specifically designed to give the parents some grown up time but they also bring the family together for great family time too.
You will be fine. We go to our "backyard" all the time.
The ports and excursions are swollen with tourists in the winter. Mexico's economy depends on tourism and they have taken every measure to avoid anything and anyone that will put its billion dollar commodity at risk. For example, there is a police station every kilometer or so, staffed with armed guards and sometimes a mid-size tank or 2. Cozumel alone has 2 universities where you HAVE to learn English and pretty much the only degree you can earn is in tourism. My point is, they wouldn't invest so heavily in a college system if they didn't care about the safety of their graduates who end up working in their own country.
Cruising to Mexico is different than staying at a resort there. With a cruise you are only there for one day. On a cruise you can go on organized excursions. I have been on a couple of cruises where we stopped in Cozumel. We never had a problem there. If you are nervous I would just go on the excursions that the ship offers where you will be in a group. Good luck and have fun. We are trying to plan a cruise for the summer too.
We took the Disney cruise several years ago....To this day we still say it was the best vacation we've ever taken, and we didn't have kids at the time.
The food was fantastic, the shows were exactly what you'd expect from Disney :) Top notch Disney service all the way from your stateroom to the dining rooms. All on board meals, snacks, and activities were included. We purchased a soda cup for around $10 the day we arrived and then free refills the rest of the cruise. I think the only thing not included was alcohol and shore excursions.
While we didn't have our own children at the time, we went with my Godsons and their parents. The kid's clubs are fabulous. They have so many activities to do the kids are never board. The children are separated into age groups and all activities within those groups are age appropriate. For instance, the younger kids had various beach and shallow water activities on Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) while the older kids built and raced rafts like on Survivor.
Keep in mind Disney is a family environment so no casino's or gambling on board. We have taken other cruises on carnival and frankly THAT was a huge waste of money and big disappointment. Nothing worse then a bunch of drunk adults vomiting in the elevators and hallways...yuck. The food was nasty, even the workers were rude. We will NEVER cruise on carnival again.
I know Disney is more expensive but the quality of service is unparalleled. We will only cruise with Disney in the future. You can call Disney, they have their own travel agents that will help you book the cruise as well as any shore excursions. You are accompanied by tour guides on the excursions therefore safety should not be an issue. I recommend you book your excursions early as they sell out rather fast.
Peace and Blessings,
T. B
I have cruised to Mexico, but not with kids. I don't know that the kids would make much of a difference as long as you make sure the ship has some kid-friendly activities. When we went (May), there were very few children on the ship so the kids areas seemed kind of boring because there just weren't any kids in them.
I will say that it was a bit unnerving to see Mexican military police at the dock armed with who knows what kind of large guns and military boats surrounding the ship. Apparently they do that because smugglers will attach their bounty to the bottom of cruise ships to smuggle stuff.
Anyway, I think if I were you, I would choose Disney. I hear it's a great experience for the whole family.
Our family just returned from a Disney cruise (Bahamas, Castaway Cay) and it was so worth it-even though it was more expensive than other cruise lines. Castaway Cay was wonderful and there was so much to do on the ship. And it would be a wonderful experience for all your children! The service was excellent, the food was great and the facilities on board were geared for families with children. We docked in the Bahamas one day and I wasn't terribly impressed with that port.
We cruised on the Carnival Magic out of Galveston last year and one of the ports was Cozumel. We booked a tour through Carnival, so we were always with a tour guide and the kids were always by our sides. They were 11 & 13 at the time. We never felt unsafe. Cozumel was beautiful and we felt much safer there than we did on Jamaica. I've always wanted to do a Disney cruise with the kids, even though they're getting older, so I'd definitely choose option 2!
I go to Mexico at least one week every winter and have never had a problem. It's been a lot of years since I've ventured out and about in Mexico but I have done most of the touristy things and have never felt in danger.
Also, my niece went on a Disney cruise last winter with her family and said that it was really good. She definitely recommended it even though it is more expensive.
Go with Disney. Stay on the boat when you are in Mexico. We often skip shore excursions and enjoy the pool and water slides with fewer people!
The Disney Fantasy is a GORGEOUS ship. The carnival ships can't compare. The kids clubs are amazing. The kids will have a fantastic time and you can have some quiet adult time. I can't recommend disney cruises enough!
I did the exact Disney cruise that you are talking about exactly one year ago (first week of October). It was AMAZING! Seriously, amazing. I would totally recommend it and think it's way better than Carnival.
We didn't have any problems in those ports though, in all honesty, we weren't out and about too much. Grand Cayman was nice - we did a private tour (private in that we were traveling as a group of 40 and it was just us) that took us snorkeling and to see Sting Rays, then to a semi-private beach for lunch. You can book similar tours through the ship or on your own. Costa Maya we walked around near the port but didn't do much. Cozumel we had plans to go to Paradise Beach but it was raining so we stayed on the ship. Turned out to be a great idea because we got to take advantage of all the fun on board without any lines.
I would not worry about these Mexican ports. I don't think there is danger in these areas, especially on the beaches. Leave your valuables on the ship and you shouldn't have any problems at all. You can get a TON of great info at www.disboards.com
The Disney ship also has a separate kids club for your 11 year old, geared more toward "tweens" so it will have more age appropriate activities and stuff.
Can't recommend the Disney cruise enough! Do it.
