We are fortunate to be able to travel, but I was annoyed at the shop hawkers. You literally could not walk 10 feet without someone yelling at you to come into their shop. There is NO BEACH at the port within walking distance.  We took at $15 cab ride to Mr. Sanchos to sit at the beach.  There is a fee only if you want to use their water toys, but it's free to sit at the beach on a chaise.  There is food and drink available to order. The other side of the island has the better beaches, but it was going to be $30 cab fare.

Cozumel

This is another place where the beaches are on the other side of the island.  Our day there was short, so we shopped (all the same stuff at all the ports) and then found Hammerheads which was a restaurant/bar with a beautiful view and good food. I could have sat there all day.  Loved Hammerheads.

Grand Cayman (Georgetown)

Great Stirrup Cay is not a selection but it is the private island for NCL.  This was a decent experience. They are renovating the facilities, but I was impressed with what they had done so far. There are several beach areas you can enjoy so do a little exploring before you set up camp for the day.  There is one section by the "hippo slide", another main area near the food and drinks and water sports, walk a little further and there is a cove for snorkeling and just beyond that another private area. 

It was clean and nice and the food they served was tasty, especially the bbq ribs.

TIP: Renting snorkel gear is $29, you will save money and time by buying your own and bringing it with you to use at ALL of your ports instead of paying every time.

Port Canaveral (Orlando)

I had done a dolphin encounter on another cruise which is different than a dolphin swim. Our guide was sweet and made it cute and fun, but the price for the dolphin encounter was $99 and the swim $149.  The only real difference was a 3 second "ride".  You put your arms up, the dolphin swims up to face you, you grab the fins and travel about 20 feet. Then you buy the video for $60.  If you book a dolphin swim outside of your cruise excursion desk you may find it less expensive and more of a one-on-one experience.

It's beautiful, but egads!  You are herded like cattle.  I am the type of traveler that when everyone else is going right, I go left. They literally put you in a pen until you've enough people to make a group. You DO NOT have to do this, but there is a guide (who expects to be tipped) at the end of the hike. We snuck out of the pen and went exploring on our own.  We found an observation deck and watched the groups (15-20 people) hiking up the falls all holding hands. BLECH!  It was like being on a ride at Disney World. Then when you are ready to leave you have to pass through the gauntlet of souvenir peddlers. They all want to shake your hand (this can be a ruse to put something in your hand so watch out). One lady had marijuana put in her hand 4 times before she caught on.   If you could go there on an off day, I bet it is very pleasant, but 2-3 cruise ships in port and it's a hot mess.

Cabin 4247 I liked the location. It is starboard aft which meant we had a view of the ports as we pulled in and out.  It's low and we could watch the wake of the boat.  It is also very convenient to the 7 Seas MDR. There are only a few elevators that go all the way down to deck 4.  It was very quiet, no foot traffic and far away enough from the 1 elevator we never heard it.  Gabina was our cabin steward and she was wonderful.

They had to leave after an hour, but then it was 18-22 year olds who were basically standing there not dancing, so no one else could dance either except of the edges of the dance floor.It is still cheaper to pay corkage than double the price of a bottle of wine which is what all restaurants do including cruise restaurants.

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