HELP! So confused about excursions

[rusd02]

:confused:

I am leaving in less than two weeks on my first cruise - Mexican Riviera on Carnival Splendor - and I have booked nothing in the way of excursions. I am so confused. Some posts say don't use the ship excursions, private companies are cheaper but there are so many and the departure times don't match up to the ship in some cases. I know nothing about any of these areas and it all sounds really gimmicky and touristy. Just want to have a good time and not spend a fortune to so everything. Beach, kayaking, snorkeling, good food and drink are my interests.

Anyone able to help me sort out some of this???:confused:

[cb at sea]

Since you are so unsure, stick with the ship's excursions...they take ALL of the quesswork out of it for you. You will get your excursion tickets in your cabin the night before, and all you do is show up where they tell you...and they take it from there. Yes, you'll pay a bit more, but you will have to worry about NOTHING. They make sure you get back to the ship on time----basically, they do everything but have the fun!!!

 

If you just want to go to the beach, you most likely don't need ANY excursion for that---a cab or bus will take you there, and there are chair rentals, umbrellas, etc....there. You should get a guidebook on the ports you'll visit, so you'll know where you want to go, and how much a cab/bus will be. Plus, a guidebook will tell you about the restaurants, bars,shopping, etc...

 

You should book any excursions you plan on doing either in advance (and you'll PAY when you book!) or as soon as you get on the ship.

 

There's no rule that says you have to take ANY excursions...we seldom do any! And, you're welcome to stay on the ship on port days--the pool will be almost exclusively yours for the best part of the day!

 

Once you've been to some of these places, you'll be more comfortable booking things thru private tourguides, if you prefer that in the future!

Have fun! Don't stress!

[uppitycats]

:confused:

I am leaving in less than two weeks on my first cruise - Mexican Riviera on Carnival Splendor - and I have booked nothing in the way of excursions. I am so confused. Some posts say don't use the ship excursions, private companies are cheaper but there are so many and the departure times don't match up to the ship in some cases. I know nothing about any of these areas and it all sounds really gimmicky and touristy. Just want to have a good time and not spend a fortune to so everything. Beach, kayaking, snorkeling, good food and drink are my interests.

Anyone able to help me sort out some of this???:confused:

 

If you go back to the main listing of boards on this site, you'll find a section labeled "ports' where you'll find lots of information about every port on your itinerary -- what to do there for free, what to do to book private excursions, what ship excursions are worth-while, which are not.

 

There is also a section here called "roll calls" -- ships and sailing dates are listed, you can find out who else is on your cruise (that frequent cruise critic), and maybe make some connections that way.

 

Since you're less than 2 weeks out, it may be too late to book ship excursions now anyway .. you'd have to get on board, see what's still available, and then decide.

[justforkicks]

I agree, definately check out the roll call for your cruise. DH and I take a couple of excursions on each cruise, but have found that most of the better days are when we just wing it.

 

The cab idea is also great for a beach, not too expensive and the cab driver will return to pick you up, just let them know what time. Enjoy!:p

[FireMonkey]

I suggest this being your first time to book through the ship. They really take all the worrying and stuff out of the excursion. If for some reason the excursion runs late, the ship will wait for you. That's happend on a couple of my trips.

 

If you decide to go out on your own be very mindful of the time. Most ships stay on local time, not the actual time in port and they will tell you what time you need to be back on board.

 

Have fun and happy cruising!

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

 

Please do not be confused. Based on my several visits to Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo, the following may be of help to you..

 

Mazatlan:

 

A free shuttle bus will take you from the ship to the cruise terminal. Here you will be inundated with offers for tours, which you do not need. A cab ride to downtown Mazatlan is about $6.00 total, not per person but total.

 

Go downtown and spend about two hours walking around, to see the Cathedral and the main market (Juarez). This is a working market basically unchanged for many years.

 

Take the green bus (inexpensive) or a taxi to the Gold Zone and see the hotels along the water. There are places where you can access the beach. Visit the beach and take a taxi back to the ship (this will vary but probably not more than $10.00 - $12.00 total - not per person.

 

Puerto Vallarta:

 

There is a splurge ship's excursion (and I believe you cannot book this individually unless Vallarta Adventures has changed their policy) which an all day trip to Las Caletas. It includes a catamaran ride to and from this formerly private home/property of the great director John Huston. Food including a very nice lunch, swimming, snorkling . kayaking and other. The ride back is drinks unlimited. This is not cheap but in my view worth it. The same company has another nice excursion to Marietas Island and includes a stop at a very nice beach.

 

If you do not want to spend the money, you can walk to the beach from the cruise terminal. As you exit the cruise terminal you will see a long row of hotels, walk towards the hotels and you will see an opening in the fence. From this opening you can walk right onto the beach. Have some type of beach shoes as this beach is decently maintained but there may be some stuff you do not want your feet to touch.

 

After dinner, you can take a taxi to downtown. This should be about $6 -8 total. Check with the cruise staff such as the head waiters or the excursions desk to determine what you should pay for a taxi. Walk around for a whiloe and take a taxi back. Negotiate and get a firm price before you get in the taxi. And... there is a huge Wal Mart across the street from the cruise terminal which is fun to visit...everything is in Spanish but a Wal Mart is a Wal Mart.

 

Cabo:

 

This is a tender port. The tender will drop you off to where you cn walk around the town. You can walk through hotels or timeshares to get to the beach. A fun place to have some food and drink is the "Office". This is beachfront drinking and dining...not cheap but fun.

[Essiesmom]

Here is a site that will tell you a lot about the ports you will visit. EM

 

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/

[rusd02]

Here is a site that will tell you a lot about the ports you will visit. EM

 

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/

 

Thanks to all who replied, but especially thank you to Essiesmom for the great link. What a lot of good information! I only wish I had seen it much sooner, but so glad to have it now.

 

Looking forward to my cruise with a little less confusion.:)