wyngarden

Great itinerary for western Caribbean.  Kids were delighted in a snorkeling excursion in Cozumel, followed by a few hours at a private beach club where the open bar delighted the parents and grandparents.  Roatan is another port where beaching is about the only option. Skip the pricey ship excursions.  Local taxis are right at the port and very reliable. We headed to kiosk #5 where the guy that booked us was brother of our taxi driver. To and from the magnificent west end beaches was $15 per person, and taking a round about way for a tour of the island was another $10.  Wristband for the private beach added another $10, but got us beach chairs, umbrellas, and access to a reasonably priced bar, a lovely clean beach, and a huge pool. It's hard to beat a fabulous day on Roatan for $35 a person.  Belize city is gateway to several great Mayan ruins.  The priciest but most fabulous is the river excursion to Lamanai   You are in port 8 hours, and this shore excursion  runs seven. There's no good option other than booking thru the cruise line.  Costa Maya is a recent dock built to add another stop and allow cruise ships to delete Cancun from itineraries.  Cancun required tendering and cruise lines detest it.  Costa Maya offers a huge pool and a bazillion souvenir shops and a pricey water park, but there isn't much about it that feels authentic.  Walk out the port gates and find the swarm of yellow taxis.  For $2 they'll take you a couple miles down the road to an old beach village called Mahuahual.  If you can't remember, just say fishing village.  They'll know.  There you'll find 8 or 10 beachfront restaurants that offer you "free" beach chairs, umbrellas, and maybe a free drink.  Of course if you are there for a few house, you'll get thirsty and hungry.  By time we left, Big Mama had tapped us for about $200.  Prices were typically American, but the drinks were generous and the food was fabulous.  And authentic Mexican.