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Caching on a cruise


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I've done it and for the most part, it's alot of fun. Use caching as a tour guide and you'll find alot of hidden spots that most tourists don't know about and can get you away from the crowds.

Most ports you sail into will probably have some nearby "cruise-friendly" caches, ie: very close to the docks. Alot of ports might have multiple cruise ships arriving the same day, so the docks can get very crowded.

 

Another thing to think about is how/when you want to log these caches. You can do it from your phone if you have coverage (probably not) but I'd certainly advise against using the ships internet. It's slow and expensive. If you're used to broadband, a cruise ships internet is death-crawl slow (at least while you're sailing...never tried it when in port, so it might be faster).

 

If you can't use your phone, try finding a pub or bar with internet access. The bars I stopped at in Alaska, if you purchased a drink (even a soda), they'd give you 20 minutes of internet access on their terminals and they had broadband. Not super-fast, but broadband all the same. I tried a few internet cafe's as well, but those seemed to be as slow as the ships internet. Obviously, things may be quite different where you are headed.

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Hey everyone! I was wondering if any of you had ever cached while on a cruise? I'm going on a cruise in December.

 

I have had a great time caching on cruises. One cache, I got a taxi, had the driver drop me off on the side of the road, and told her to come back and pick me up in an hour. Worked great. I was all sweaty and bleeding slightly, having had the adventure of the year! I found another one (a virtual) standing on the deck of the ship as we entered the Panama Canal.

 

Go for it. The adventures can be incredible.

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I've done Cruise & Cache in Cozumel. First time I've ever walked a mile and a half in pouring rain in November and smiled the whole time. I pre-loaded my GPS with the caches in our various ports & didn't need internet access at all. Walked into the establishment, Danny walked around from behind the bar, extended his hand, introduced himself and knew why I was there before I could even ask him for the "item."

 

Maybe I need a GPSr that's less conspicuous than the day-glo orange PN-40. Or maybe a lone gringo in trail shoes and a baseball cap walking up to the bar in a downpour is just a dead giveaway :)

 

I also got 2 of the virtual on Grand Cayman. Sea Turtles, aaaawwww yeaaaahh...

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Caching is great while on a cruise. We like to do Earthcaches and Virtuals but will also find the occasional traditional. We found caches on both Cozumel and Belize. In Cozumel, I turned a rock over to look for a cache and two black scorpions scurried away. It was unnerving to say the least but I found out later that being bitten would not have been fatal. We found at least one more trad on Cozumel later that day but I did not dare turn another rock over. We met Danny as well and had no problems "finding" that cache.

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When I went to Jamaica, we stayed in an all-inclusive resort. So it was sort of like a landlocked cruise, on a very large boat. :)

 

We did one off-resort excursion. There were a number of them to choose from, two of which went to waterfalls. Naturally, I convinced my wife that we should chose the one that went to a waterfall that had a nearby earthcache.

 

If I was going on a cruise, I'd look carefully at the available excursions in the ports, while also having GC.com open to see what was nearby.

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I hit those same stops on a cruise last year. The only ones in Costa Maya were a mile away from the complex where the ships drop you off. You would have to get a local taxi to get there. The one in Belize City was fun and a challenge, as it was right in the crowded area where the tender ships drop everyone off. There are a handful of caches in Cozumel; the ones I checked out were in restaurants in the main town, probably so someone can keep an eye on them.

The caches in the Carribean are usually "vacation" caches, so they tend to disappear and get replaced frequently. Don't forget to check their pages just before you leave. You don't want to waste your time on DNF's when you are at these destinations!

Oh, and if you've never traveled far with your GPS, it can sometimes take a while to find the satellites for the first time. While still on board your ship, turn it on when you are getting ready in the morning to give it time to realize it is on vacation too. :P

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Hey everyone! I was wondering if any of you had ever cached while on a cruise? I'm going on a cruise in December.

 

I have had a great time caching on cruises. One cache, I got a taxi, had the driver drop me off on the side of the road, and told her to come back and pick me up in an hour. Worked great. I was all sweaty and bleeding slightly, having had the adventure of the year! I found another one (a virtual) standing on the deck of the ship as we entered the Panama Canal.

 

Go for it. The adventures can be incredible.

 

I know somebody that got a taxi in, I think it was Greece, but I'm not sure. Fortunately, he had the taxi wait for him, because, as he was looking for the cache, a big black limousine drives up, this guy in an expensive suit steps out and tells my friend, "I want you to leave... now."

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Oh, and if you've never traveled far with your GPS, it can sometimes take a while to find the satellites for the first time. While still on board your ship, turn it on when you are getting ready in the morning to give it time to realize it is on vacation too. :P

Just go up on the top deck each evening, power up & get a fix (or if you're enjoying the on-board nightlife, do it in the morning). That's what I did each night on my last cruise. I also took a waypoint each time so I could track our trip. Funny, I never got around to actually using that to go back and look in a mapping program.

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Sound like everyone has had a great time caching on their cruises! I've looked at the one where you have to ask the guy for the cache. :D I'm getting so excited and will load the caches on right before we leave. We cruise in 59 days!!

Hello, we did the cruise and cache on cozumel but Danny was not there at the time. There's a great cache a few blocks off the strip further out that was an other worldly experience for me, like stepping back in time. My link If it's a hot day like when I was there they do have the coldest beer I have ever experienced. My best cache of the cruise. Have a good trip.

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Cached on a cruise to Alaska in September. I'd never been on a cruise before and wasn't AT ALL sure about going. Of course, after having done the cruise, I was pretty much ready to go again right away. Sigh.............. Work and money surely do get in the way of things. We made port in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchican, and Victoria (British Columbia) and found caches in all 4 ports.

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Yes, fun to do. I enjoy going up on the top deck each morning and making sure the Captain isn't lost. Most cruise ports have at least a few caches near to the docks.

Waymarking will provide some interesting places to visit in most ports. I don't always log the waymarks but they can lead you on a tour of your own choosing.

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Going on a similar cruise to Thrak's next May. Flying into Vancouver and then cruising up the inside passage to Juneau, including hopefully doing the Tracy Arm Earthcache (GC1DG1T) from the deck of the cruise ship (actually, I've joked about doing it whilst in bed and taking a photo out of the cabin window!).

 

Planning on grabbing a few caches in each stop before returning to Vancouver - although we're considering a day trip down to Seattle when we're back.

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Going on a similar cruise to Thrak's next May. Flying into Vancouver and then cruising up the inside passage to Juneau, including hopefully doing the Tracy Arm Earthcache (GC1DG1T) from the deck of the cruise ship (actually, I've joked about doing it whilst in bed and taking a photo out of the cabin window!).

 

Planning on grabbing a few caches in each stop before returning to Vancouver - although we're considering a day trip down to Seattle when we're back.

 

As much as I'd like to see Alaska I think if I were to do a cruise it would most likely be something in the Mediterranean or a Europe river cruise. My wife tends to get seasick and is very concerned about getting sick and having the cruise ruined. There are however some interesting looking cruises which depart in Venice that go to other ports in Italy, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, an Marseille. Although I have already found caches in Italy, France, and Spain (one cruise I looked at ended up in Barcelona) I don't have any finds in Croatia, Greece, or Turkey and there are also itineraries that go to Montenegro, Monaco, and Egypt.

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Hey everyone! I was wondering if any of you had ever cached while on a cruise? I'm going on a cruise in December. We are going to Costa Maya, Belize City, and Cozumel. Have any of you cached in these port cities? I'd love to hear everyone's cruise caching stories!

 

Kim

(stirfrie2005)

Here is my log from Skagway cliffs - GCG627. As you can see caching on a cruise can be exhausting.

"This has to be the easiest cache ever. I woke up this morning and didn't even have to get out of bed. There was the Sun Princess directly across from my balcony. I did, however, have to really exert myself and get out of bed for my binoculars to read the name. Seems like an awfully lot to ask of someone before breakfast. There is some vegetation beginning to encroach on the sign thet could cause problems in a few years.

Answer emailed."

 

Thick or Thin

Chalfont, PA

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I unfortunately don't see any caches on the island for the Miami cruise docks; you would have to get a cab to go caching. The cruise line's embarkation process is a well oiled machine that gets thousands of tourists onto several ships in just a few hours. I'd be cautious messing with that machine. If you're hoping to get a Florida cache, you will likely have much more time when you get back. Most cruisers are off their boats by 9:00 am (they have to get get it ready quickly for the next batch of tourists). Depending on when your departing flight is, you might have more time then.

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I unfortunately don't see any caches on the island for the Miami cruise docks; you would have to get a cab to go caching. The cruise line's embarkation process is a well oiled machine that gets thousands of tourists onto several ships in just a few hours. I'd be cautious messing with that machine. If you're hoping to get a Florida cache, you will likely have much more time when you get back. Most cruisers are off their boats by 9:00 am (they have to get get it ready quickly for the next batch of tourists). Depending on when your departing flight is, you might have more time then.

 

Thanks! Thats what we'll do then - grab one on our way back.

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I've done this in Nassau (which, when you take the geo-tour, is MUCH more sketchy than you might think!) We prefer the off-the-beaten-path tour anyhow, and we got it. We're going on another to Cabo San Lucas, and we're planning to cache there as well. In addition to getting a unique tour of a new place, it's also a very inexpensive way to spend your vacation :)

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Hey everyone! I was wondering if any of you had ever cached while on a cruise? I'm going on a cruise in December.

 

I have had a great time caching on cruises. One cache, I got a taxi, had the driver drop me off on the side of the road, and told her to come back and pick me up in an hour. Worked great. I was all sweaty and bleeding slightly, having had the adventure of the year! I found another one (a virtual) standing on the deck of the ship as we entered the Panama Canal.

 

Go for it. The adventures can be incredible.

 

I know somebody that got a taxi in, I think it was Greece, but I'm not sure. Fortunately, he had the taxi wait for him, because, as he was looking for the cache, a big black limousine drives up, this guy in an expensive suit steps out and tells my friend, "I want you to leave... now."

 

OMG that would be scary wonder if the cache was on private land

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There are no caches in Costa Maya.

 

However we did find 4 caches in Cozumel. My favorite was GCTXME, Cruise & Cache in Cozumel. We also found an interesting multi, which is a virtual multi, Called Land, Sea and Air. Two other traditionals: "a little taste of Italy" GCQF2X, which is in a YUMMY Italian restaurant, in the garden area. And A token for Ixchel GCTDNA, the gate was closed, but they allow a smilie if you take a picture of the gate with your gps.

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Going on a similar cruise to Thrak's next May. Flying into Vancouver and then cruising up the inside passage to Juneau, including hopefully doing the Tracy Arm Earthcache (GC1DG1T) from the deck of the cruise ship (actually, I've joked about doing it whilst in bed and taking a photo out of the cabin window!).

 

Planning on grabbing a few caches in each stop before returning to Vancouver - although we're considering a day trip down to Seattle when we're back.

Depending on how long you have there is a cache and a challenge atop Deer Mtn. in Ketchikan.

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Going on a similar cruise to Thrak's next May. Flying into Vancouver and then cruising up the inside passage to Juneau, including hopefully doing the Tracy Arm Earthcache (GC1DG1T) from the deck of the cruise ship (actually, I've joked about doing it whilst in bed and taking a photo out of the cabin window!).

Are you going to be doing scenic cruising in Glacier Bay National Park? If so, there is also the Margerie Glacier Earthcache (GC33E9G). Well worth doing and one of the most beautiful places you'll visit on your cruise.

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Best Friend Mysteria Cached on our last cruise and had so much fun that we are planning to do it again next December in the southern carribian lol

 

Its best to have all the possible caches planned out in advance and loaded on gps... we got stuck in cozumel when we stared caching and realized that our gps's had not taken the caches :( had to run to out of the way local internet cafe to find them again....

 

BRING PAPER COPIES AS BACK UP! so not to waste time!

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We cached in Bermuda on a cruise. We had a blast! The first day we rode buses and walked. THAT was a long day, but we saw things that we would have never seen. The second day we rented a scooter. Now that was an adventure. Besides driving on the "wrong" side of the road, the way they drive there makes Atlanta seem like a cakewalk. We could not have had a better time. Why go there if you're not gonna cache?

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Cached on a cruise to Alaska in September. I'd never been on a cruise before and wasn't AT ALL sure about going. Of course, after having done the cruise, I was pretty much ready to go again right away. Sigh.............. Work and money surely do get in the way of things. We made port in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchican, and Victoria (British Columbia) and found caches in all 4 ports.

 

That's exactly the cruise I'm going on this September. Really looking forward to it. I'll also get to go to GS HQ. That'll be great also. My plan is to get some in each port also.

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I have and there's a humorous story to go with it. We had planned a cruise to Bermuda. A few weeks before the trip I was caching here in New Jersey when I came across a TB. that was a double decker bus whose goal was to make it to England. I thought this was great since Bermuda is an English colony, I would drop it off there and hopefully it would make it's goal or at least to Europe. There just so happened to be a cache less then 2/10's of a mile from the dock that was a TB. motel. When we arrived in Bermuda I went and found the cache. Inside were 5 TBs so I grabbed one to bring back home and left the double decker. A few weeks after we got back home I checked to see if the bus had continued on it's journey. I didn't think it would have so soon since there were 4 other bugs to choose from. I was greatly surprised when I saw that it had been picked up and equally surprised to see where it went. The bus had been picked up by another cacher, on another ship and brought nowhere else but back to New Jersey. So much for well laid plans.

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Cached on a cruise to Alaska in September. I'd never been on a cruise before and wasn't AT ALL sure about going. Of course, after having done the cruise, I was pretty much ready to go again right away. Sigh.............. Work and money surely do get in the way of things. We made port in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchican, and Victoria (British Columbia) and found caches in all 4 ports.

 

That's exactly the cruise I'm going on this September. Really looking forward to it. I'll also get to go to GS HQ. That'll be great also. My plan is to get some in each port also.

 

We had a similar itinerary last August after the Block Party. Took a bus to Vancouver and then cruised to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. The last full cruise day was in Glacier Bay NP with NP rangers on board to answer questions and give talks, so we were able to enjoy the incredible scenery and find a few 5* terrain EC's as well. If you have enough shore time in Skagway, skip the tourist train ride. Instead rent a car and drive along the Klondike Highway into British Colombia. We turned around just past Carcross after finding the caches at Emerald Lake and in the Carcross Desert. You will enjoy the same stunning scenery, be able to stop along the way for some caching, and not have exhaust blowing in your face the whole time in an open RR car.

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If you have enough shore time in Skagway, skip the tourist train ride. Instead rent a car and drive along the Klondike Highway into British Colombia. We turned around just past Carcross after finding the caches at Emerald Lake and in the Carcross Desert. You will enjoy the same stunning scenery, be able to stop along the way for some caching, and not have exhaust blowing in your face the whole time in an open RR car.

The train ride is historic but I'd also opt on getting a car and doing the drive yourself. I took a bus excursion but the day was very foggy, so we didn't stop as often. There were many places along the road that I WOULD have stopped had I been driving. But, because of the fog, our bus didn't even cross the border checkpoint before turning back. Even then, there were at least two dozen places along the way where I would have loved to have grabbed some photos.

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I don't plan to do any of the tourist excursions while in port. I would much rather roam about the towns and see the areas away from where all the cruise passengers normally go. I've done a bit of traveling and I find that approach to be the most rewarding and it gives me a better feel for the town and its' culture.

 

I also noticed that I used also several times in my first post also. When I noticed it, I couldn't edit it also. :laughing: :laughing:

 

Sometimes the brain and fingers don't sync.

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We went caching last year at ports in The Azores and France during our transatlantic cruise. It is a great way to get out and explore the city during your brief stop there.

 

I bet you'll even find you aren't the only geocacher onboard! You can connect up in advance with others who will be on your same cruise at the bulletin board for Cruise Critic (there will be separate threads by cruise line, destination, and exact date of your cruise), and post there if you want to meet up with other geocachers during your cruise adventure!

 

TIP: If you are going to foreign countries, I would suggest planning ahead including translating the description/hints if they are in another language. I would have been lost with descriptions in Portuguese and French if it wasn't for google translator I used at home before we left.

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My brother and his wife took a cruise to Hawaii a few years ago. The ship stopped at each island and at each stop they were the first ones off and last ones back to the ship. They cached their brains out on each and every island. They had a fantastic time. They had to be pretty flexible tho. At some ports they were able to easily rent a car and head out, other times they needed a reservation or just rented mopeds or took a cab. But in any case, they had a blast and saw the islands (which they had been to many times before) in an entirely new way.

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Hey everyone! I was wondering if any of you had ever cached while on a cruise? I'm going on a cruise in December. We are going to Costa Maya, Belize City, and Cozumel. Have any of you cached in these port cities? I'd love to hear everyone's cruise caching stories!

 

Kim

(stirfrie2005)

We thought about this quite a while ago. Leaving a cache on one of the many little known islands we visited, but somehow it just didn't seem appropriate.
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We thought about this quite a while ago. Leaving a cache on one of the many little known islands we visited, but somehow it just didn't seem appropriate.

 

I think the OP meant looking for already placed caches. I would agree that placing a cache wouldn't be appropriate given that you won't be available to maintain it ongoing.

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