Wednesday: Grand Cayman

Shore excursions are often canned experiences – dozens of people on a big tour bus with some a guide who has given the spiel for eons. But for the last few years, all cruise lines have tried to create smaller, more intimate experiences as well.

Yesterday, in Cozumel, those included a tequila tasting for 10 under an open-air palapa that left my dining table mates raving.

I spent my Cozumel morning with 9 fellow cruisers in a traditional Mayan sweatlodge – apty named, as you literally sweat out a half to a full gallon during 90 minutes in what is essentially a brick kiln heated by lava rocks from a fire and splashed by the shaman-in-training with water and herbs. The idea: To reorder your energies and cleanse your system. Sounds a bit New Agey, but my fellow excursion-takers were pretty much 50-plus church-going Americans, and everyone reported feeling great afterward.

Today we’re in Grand Cayman, where snorkeling and Stingray City are the main attractions. Both involve larger group sizes. We’ll let you know how it goes.

Some excursion notes:

Cozumel: No. 1 excursion is a visit to the Maya ruins at Tulum (and if you’ve never seen them, you should.) Given the limited time you’re in port, best bet is to go with the ship’s excursion. Snorkeling and diving are also popular; these are trips you can do on your own if you’ve brought or rented gear, or you can arrange them at a (non-ship-run) booth as soon as you get ashore.

Weather: The trick to getting space on the small excursions is booking early. But excursions are non-refundable....which means that on a mediocred weather day (today is one of those) you're going unless the excursion is cancelled. Something to thin about.