Montego Bay: We were very unhappy with the first one. We went on the Chukka Horseback Ride and Swim. It was supposed to be from 9:30-12:30. We waited and waited in the hot building at the port. Then they took us outside and we waited some more until our bus finally came to pick us up. The horseback ride was very nice. There are some beautiful views and at the end you ride along the shore back to where you start. Then we did our ride into the water on different horses. Our ride in the water was significantly shorter than the group we watch ed before ours. We were pretty disappointed that they rushed that part. Then we sat and waited for around an hour until our bus showed up to pick us up. We didn't get back to the port until 3. We had planned on having about 4 hours after this excursion to go to a beach and were very disappointed that instead we spent 3 extra hours on this excursion waiting. Also, they have lockers to secure your things but they charge you $5.00 to use them. We enjoyed the horseback riding a lot but were very disappointed that we spent most of our day in Montego Bay waiting. We complained at the shore excursion desk. I didn't find them to be very helpful. They refunded 20% of our excursion cost. On a positive note, our bus driver, Garfield, was wonderful. He gave us some great info about the island and kept us laughing.
When we arrived at the turtle farm we were quickly put with a guide who walked us around the different tanks of the farm and gave us some great info about how and why it started. My favorite part was definitely holding the 1 year old turtles. You can also go snorkling in their lagoon but honestly that wasn't too exciting. There were very few turtles in there and you aren't allowed to touch those ones because they are getting released into the wild.
Turtle Farm Rating:
Grand Cayman: We really enjoyed Grand Cayman. It was beautiful there and I would love to go back. We booked the Stingray Encounter and Turtle Farm and enjoyed them both a lot. We took a bus ride the boat that took us out to the stingray sandbar. The ride out to the sandbar is nice. They gave us info about how to handle the stingrays while we were on the boat. Once we got there I was a little concerned because there were already a lot of boats out there but there was plenty of space for us and we had plenty of interaction with the stingrays. Our guides did a great job making sure everyone got to hold, feed and kiss a stingray. We brought a waterproof digital camera and got some great shots of the stingrays swimming around us. We got back on the boat and went back to shore to get on our bus to head to the turtle farm. I wished our bus ride had included some info about Grand Cayman but I don't think the bus had a microphone or anything of the sort.
Cozumel - The port area in Cozumel is very nice with lots of shops. Be aware that the prices will be lower if you cross the street for souvenir type things. Also, be sure to bargain because they will lower their prices. The food is great. We went on the Beginner's Scuba Excursion. We waited quite a while to get all of the people gathered and then for taxis. This excursion does not use their own bus. They put you in taxis that are included in the price. You sit in a short class about the basics of scuba and then you dive for about 25 minutes from the shore. The dive was great. It was a fake reef I guess you'd say but there were lots of beautiful fish. When you're finished you can stay as long as you like and snorkel. When you're finished they will pay for a taxi to take you back. We had some food there and it was delicious. Also, they have lockers for your bags that are $2.00 to use.