We booked our Cozumel and Grand Cayman excursions through Carnival. I know they are a little more expensive this way, but you also get the first tenders of the day when you book through Carnival. Trust me, when you are sitting with your group in the lounge waiting to get off the ship to tender in to port....you want to be one of the first groups. In Jamaica, we booked our day at the Sunset Beach Resort ourself. When we got off the ship, we took a cab to the resort and spent the day there. The resort is a great place for someone with kids. My nephew (as well as the rest of us) loved the small water-park. If I remember correctly, my sister just got on their website to look up the phone number and called them to make the reservations. When we got to the resort, we had to pay in cash to get in and that was it. When we were ready to leave, we just went to the front desk and got a cab to take us back to the ship. I agree with the above poster about Jamaica being a little scary. As long as you just get a cab to and from the ship, and don't go wandering around on your own, you will be fine.
