Our second port was Falmouth, Jamaica. You should know that Royal Caribbean is the only company that docks at Falmouth and it is 45 minutes to Ocho Rios which is where you find the main things to do. Everything in Falmouth is shopping/tourist oriented and there's not much outside of the pier area itself. 

We pre-arranged a private driver for the day through Marva Shaw (knowjamaica dot com). Based on previous reviews, I knew I wanted to find someone to drive us around personally. We paid $180 for the day and got a van to ourselves and a lovely driver named Grace. She was great with the kids. She made jokes and provided a lot of trivia about the island, which she turned into a friendly game. She stopped frequently to show us a point of interest or explain something. 

Our goals for the day:
* Climb Dunn's "famous" waterfall
* Go river tubing
* Eat a real Jamaican meal (not a tourist place)
* Learn about the island 

We started with Dunn's Falls. It was a neat experience. We arrived at 10:30 AM and it was very crowded. There were all ages and "sizes" climbing the falls; it was challenging at times but never scary. We avoided all the aggressive crafts sellers on the way out (beware: they will really try hard to sell you things). 

Then Grace drove us to a local place that does river tubing (Calypso). It was $100 for the four of us to go tubing, which I thought was pricey but we really wanted to do it. It was GREAT! The guides sang songs and were very hands-on. They made sure we never got separated and kept us away from the banks or rocks. It was a little short, but later we were told we could have opted for a longer experience that ended at the ocean. I wish they had told us that up-front. 

We then asked Grace to take us to a "real" Jamaican restaurant. Wow, did she deliver. I admit, I was very nervous when we walked into this tiny waterfront establishment and realized we were the only Americans in the place. There was a guy roasting fish on a grill built up with tires. This was not fancy, clearly. But it honestly was some of the best fish I have ever eaten. I don't know the name of the place, unfortunately, but it was near "Lobster Dave's" which apparently is famous. My kids really enjoyed it and gobbled everything up.

Grace pulled off the road to buy a bag of "Jamaican apples" which are bright red and have the texture of a pear. I didn't like it, but I enjoyed trying something new. The kids liked them a lot which surprised me. (Possibly they just wanted to please Grace, whom they adored.)

Overall, I found Jamaica had absolutely gorgeous vistas and the water was so pretty. But to be honest, this was not a place I would intentionally seek to return unless it happened to be a port of call on a cruise. I was uncomfortable with the aggressiveness of the locals and it just wasn't my favorite. I do highly recommend our driver and felt she made it a fabulous experience. I am really glad we went here and experienced the falls.

Falmouth

Based on TripAdvisor reviews, we chose an independent tour for Grand Cayman. They picked us up in a blue school bus from the pier (along with around 20 others). The driver entertained us along the way by describing the island's points of interest and history. We got on the boat and were pleased that it wasn't super crowded on the boat. (You'll notice the official excursion offered by the ship has a TON of people on the boat)

We paid $49 per adult and $35 per child.

First, we were taken out to a spot where everyone snorkeled. I had never been snorkeling before and I was a little anxious about it. Eventually I got the hang of it and enjoyed seeing the fish and coral reef. The kids took to it easily and really loved it. Hubby also especially loved this part. Then we got back on the boat and went to the Stingray City sandbar. 

What a memorable and magical experience. It was thrilling and definitely something I will never, ever forget. My daughter has some sensory issues and was extremely nervous about being in the water with the stringrays. Initially she got in the water and then wanted to get back on the boat. We didn't force it and left her on the boat with one of the tour guys (which was less than 10 feet away). Hubby, son, and I all got to "hold" a stingray and feed them. Unfortunately one girl in our tour group was terrified; she was screaming and thrashing around which freaked everyone out and made the tour guides visibly nervous. They put her on the boat as quickly as possible. Then everything went better. My daughter decided on her own to get back in the water, which was amazing. The tour guys were GREAT about helping her have a good experience and we have a great shot of her "holding" a ray and smiling from ear to ear. 

This was such a highlight of our trip and worth every penny! 

We went back to the pier after the excursion (2 hours). We wanted to get back on the ship and spend some time doing things like the rock wall, flowrider, etc.

Cozumel was our favorite excursion of the trip and we definitely are going to go back! 

We hired a private driver for the day, because we wanted more control over our experience and also because we prefer to do things as a family rather than with a big tour group. We were assigned Alberto. We originally requested Gerry based on reviews on TripAdvisor, but now we are so glad that we got Alberto! He was AWESOME! He was very accommodating, chatty, and friendly. His vehicle was a little worse for wear but I soon realized that all the cabs are in a similar condition. He had an empty cooler in the back for us. 

First, we stopped at a big grocery store. Alberto went inside with us and helped us navigate that whole experience (we do not speak Spanish at all). We got ice, some soft drinks and water, and some sinus medicine (that was a little dicey but we talked to a pharamcist via Alberto and felt reasonably confident we weren't buying crack). Paying was easy, because the whole island takes US dollars or Pesos, and they do the conversion automatically. The kids thought the store was like a playground and liked seeing all the Mexican variations and varieties of things. 

Then Alberto drove us past a variety of points of interest on the populated side of the island (statues, the military, some history, the ferry, etc) before taking us to the San Gervasio ruins. We paid $8 total for entry (the kids were free) then paid $20 for a guided (english speaking) tour. I found the tour very interesting but the kids were totally distracted by the iguanas that were everywhere. We had a souvenir photo taken at entry and paid $15 for it. It was really cute, but I grimaced a little because it was SO ridiculously touristy... they had a guy dressed up as a Maya native (or what I would say is a caricature of a Maya native) to pose with us. Cute? Yes. Authentic? No. 

Also, be advised that the road to the ruins is SIX MILES of the bumpiest road I have ever encountered. It was hilarious to the kids, but I found it very jarring. 

Then Alberto drove us to the other side of the island, all along the way pointing things out and providing a running commentary on the island. He stopped at a roadside craft stall, because the kids really wanted to buy "something" from Cozumel. My son ended up with a painted ceramic cat, I got a painted bowl, and my daughter ended up with a painted ceramic lizard. All of it was the stuff that tourists buy, I know, but we liked it anyway. I also brought back two bottles of vanilla. 

We then went to the other side of the island. I fell in love. It is SO beautiful! We ate at a restaurant overlooking the water. This was my only disappointment. We wanted an "authentic" experience, but the menu was in English and shortly after we arrived, a huge tour bus showed up (part of a bar crawl excursion). So it was super loud and rowdy, which I definitely did not enjoy. The food was absolutely delicious, so it wasn't all bad. But it wasn't the highlight. 

We then went to the Punta Sur ecopark. We started with the Crocodile area and enjoyed seeing a croc up close (we were safely on a raised pier above the water). Then we went to the Lighthouse and climbed to the top. The view was breathtaking. Hubby and I stood up there for 20 minutes at least, enjoying the 360 degree views. You could see the cruise ships all the way across the island! The kids grumbled about climbing the lighthouse (a million steps) but they enjoyed the view too. We poked our head briefly into the "museum" which is a series of five small exhibit rooms. 

We stopped periodically at different beaches and when things caught our eye. We have some great photos from this day. 

Alberto then drove us back to the Pier and we got back on the ship. We definitely would like to spend more time in Cozumel, specifically enjoying the beach on the "other side" of the island. We'd like to do snorkeling here, too.

6361 is a good location overall (near the elevators, one floor down to Royal Promenade, one floor up to the Library) but let's be clear: this is a tiny, tiny room. Two bunks come out of the ceiling in this room. Bathroom is serviceable but beware: if you have a child who forgets to flush the toilet at bedtime (#1 only - mind you), it will REEK in the morning and for days afterward. The toilet bowls are plastic, NOT porcelain.

Costs: $200 for driver including a very generous tip, $75 for lunch, $60 souvenirs, $28 for San Gervasio Maya Ruins visit, $24 for Punta Sur ecopark entry, $10 for soft drinks, bottled water, and much-needed sinus medication

SEA DAYS
We had two sea days, one at the start and one at the end.We also realized that we could GO to Disney World for a few days post-cruise if we booked a Freedom class ship instead of the newer Allure/Oasis.

Freedom of the Seas Review

First-time Family Cruisers: some tips and a few warnings

Rating by category

Additional details

Cabin Review

Interior Stateroom

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