heffa72 Posted January 12, 2005 #1 Share Posted January 12, 2005 I'm a little nervous about booking a tour not through my cruiseline due to the small risk that if anything goes wrong, the boat won't wait for us....has anyone else had the same concerns or have any thoughts to share? I'm not really worried about the reputibliliy of the tour company...I will only book with those mentioned here...like (i.e. NativeWay or Soto)....but things happen and I want to assure my friends/family that it IS ok to book non-Carnival tours. Thanks in advance for any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phlydude Posted January 13, 2005 #2 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Be smart about the tours you book. If your ship leaves at 4, your last tender will leave between 3:15 and 3:30. If your tour doesn't give you much time to make that deadline, don't book it. Keep in mind if there are a few boats anchored off the coast, the traffic can be pretty tough heading from the west end from the beach, hell and the turtle farm back to the tender pier. I was thinking about booking a 2.5 hr tour with Capt. Bryan's but they won't leave until at least 1 and getting back around 4 or so. I don't think I can chance the hour so I either have to book with the cruise line or not do that and go to the beach instead. No big deal though. I will still get to experience the beach, sun and sand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladycaveat Posted January 13, 2005 #3 Share Posted January 13, 2005 In a word . . . no. I always book shore excursion independently . . . less expensive, less people and a heck of a lot more fun. These port excursion companies make most of their money from cruise ships . . . they are not going to take the chance of having someone "miss the boat." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynda S Posted January 13, 2005 #4 Share Posted January 13, 2005 I would echo Lady Caveat for sure, and what she says is doubly true in the Caymans - both of our experiences there were with independent tours, and both operators were very concerned with getting us back to our ships on time. (2 separate ships in the group on the stingray tour) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseMark Posted January 13, 2005 #5 Share Posted January 13, 2005 We went with Nativeway and had the same concerns as this was our first time booking independently. As it turns out, our fears were unwarranted. Nativeway was great about knowing exaclty which ship we were on and getting us back in plenty of time to catch a tender. They were fun and professional too. Only 8 people in our boat compared ot hundreds on the ships tour. Highly recommended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea_u_onboard Posted January 15, 2005 #6 Share Posted January 15, 2005 You will enjoy yourself so much more going independent from the cruise line and as others have said the operators are very conscientious about the time and getting you back to the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelsavvy Posted February 1, 2005 #7 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Book with one of the companies that are insured to get you to the next port if your trip were not to return in time for you to get on board your ship. The tour operators work with cruise passengers every day but that insurance policy is some peace of mind. This applies even more to the ports where excursions are farther from the pier area (Belize for example). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kujobie Posted February 1, 2005 #8 Share Posted February 1, 2005 I understand how you feel. On our first cruise, we booked the sting rays in GC and snorkelling in Cozumel thru the ship for the same reason you are considering it. On our second cruise, we also did the rays thru the ship. To be honest, I have no regrets. We booked an early a.m. tour thru Carnival, so we were literally on the first tender off the ship. This is a big plus in Grand Cayman because it is usually a short stay for some reason. Consequently, being the first group of the ship, we were also the first boat to reach the sand bar. That meant our small group (15, including 3 crew members had the complete, undivided attention of about 40 large, beautiful sting rays for about 30-45 minutes before any other boat arrived. The boat was clean, fast and and very uncrowded. It was a large boat. At the time (4 years ago), it was not much more expensive than the independants. Now it's almost double. Not sure what were gonna do in a couple months when we go back. But it does take the worry out of it. Vacations are not meant for worrying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori&Tony Posted February 1, 2005 #9 Share Posted February 1, 2005 Just remember that thisi is a tender port and cruise ship passengers booking through the ship get first crack at the tenders. Keep this in mind when booking privately so you don''t book a too early departure time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwitt2 Posted February 2, 2005 #10 Share Posted February 2, 2005 When we were in Grand Cayman in Nov. we booked through the ship, thank goodness. The van which was to bring us back to the tender was late and we missed the last tender. They sent another tender for the 6 of us. Had we been on our own, I think we would have been out of luck and would have missed the ship. This happened on to us some years ago in St. Thomas also. We are leery of booking on our own after these 2 experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbisson Posted February 2, 2005 #11 Share Posted February 2, 2005 Believe it or not, the private tour operators look out for each other! When we did Sting Ray Sandbar with Nativeway another boat radioed that his engines had died. Our boat and another (don't know who it was with) went to their aid to bring their passengers in. When we got there, between the 3 skippers they did get the engines started, but their passengers would've made the tenders either way. Also, you might want to contact whoever you decide to use, let them know when your ship departs and see what time they'll have you back to catch the tenders. I know our skipper checked with everyone on our boat and we were all back with plenty of time to spare. -Monte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUCY55 Posted February 3, 2005 #12 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Run this debate every cruise!! Basically it depends on numerous factors--one big one being my "comfort level". Next trip--Grand Cayman and Roatan. In the case of Grand Cayman (been there before)--independent tour. In the case of Roatan--ship excursion. Uncomfortable about cabs and tipping. The following is "cut and pasted" from a roatanforums.com. "Only use taxis on Roatan when YOU know the location of your destination. They do NOT know how to get here. Taxis here are VERY expensive. Also, the taxi drivers may take you on a long midnight tour of the island with the meter running and their 3 children and a chicken in your lap--LOL--IF the taxi doesn't break down first. Tipping is a big issue here on the island--and has led to forced tipping and added on charges on bills that are VERY high at many resorts and restaurants. A few dollars placed in the right hands will greatly improve your vacation experience, and is, in the long run, cheaper. However, forget to tip and the whole island may be turning their backs on you. We know you don't want this to happen to you by accident, right? In Honduras it is standard practice to tip maids, taxi drivers, boat captains, dive masters, people who translate for you on the street, the guy who pumps your gas, rental car cleanup folks, waitresses, taxi drivers and, in short, anyone who does anything for you. Often in Honduras, this is the only pay these people receive." In my opinion, tipping is expected from the cruiseship crowd on any location in the Carribbean--but cabs are in better condition in some locations than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikayla73 Posted August 12, 2005 #13 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Book with one of the companies that are insured to get you to the next port if your trip were not to return in time for you to get on board your ship. The tour operators work with cruise passengers every day but that insurance policy is some peace of mind. This applies even more to the ports where excursions are farther from the pier area (Belize for example). Has anyone ever heard of this? What companies do this? I am sure it would ease the mind of people booking independently to know the tour co had insurance to get to back to the boat if you miss it because of a broken down van or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konthego Posted August 12, 2005 #14 Share Posted August 12, 2005 do your research here on crusie critic and you wont be disappointed with your independent tour operator. i have used tour operators the folks here have recommended and have been very pleased (peat taylor on jamaica; vicor bodden on roatan; mark mcfield in belize). they are all well aware of the time your ship leaves. although i havent used an excursion from any cruise i've taken, had i done the Lamani mayan tour in Belize i would have as it was an all day event. Grand caymans is not a large island but i have seen some upcoming december and January days when 10 or 11 ships are due to be in port the same day. I wouldnt bother getting off the ship that day! the traffic, both people and taxis, in town will be unreal. i was there two weeks ago and only 4 ships and had no problems whatsoever. the closest public beach is probably 1 1/2 miles from town. Other islands like st marteen, roatan, Aruba arent all that big. Research and make a decision from there. We had 15 people on our cruise and by using independents we paid half what we would have had we booked Carnival's excursions. the savings were over $1300. it comes down to your comfort level. I have been reading these boards since december and have yet to see anyone get left behind by anyone recommended here. Can it happen? sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55J5-5 Posted August 13, 2005 #15 Share Posted August 13, 2005 Konthego where do you find out how many ships are due in port for a particular day? I contacted nativeway water sports for sept 15 but they are full for the stingray & island tour. Anyone know of another great tour group that does pretty much the same thing? Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikayla73 Posted August 14, 2005 #16 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Konthego where do you find out how many ships are due in port for a particular day?I contacted nativeway water sports for sept 15 but they are full for the stingray & island tour. Anyone know of another great tour group that does pretty much the same thing? Thanks for your help. You can try searching for cruisecal on one of the search engines. There is a site that usually has all of the ships in just about any port listed, along with links to the port and cruise ship cams, very awsome! I know that there is Soto's, Capt'n Bryan's, and Capt'n Marvins also. I am a first time cruiser, so I have never used any of them, but I am sure you can look on here to get info on each one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clackey Posted August 14, 2005 #17 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Konthego where do you find out how many ships are due in port for a particular day?I contacted nativeway water sports for sept 15 but they are full for the stingray & island tour. Anyone know of another great tour group that does pretty much the same thing? Thanks for your help. Hola amigo,You can get the ship info from www.cruisecal.com. As for another tour company, try Capt. Bryans or do a google for cayman cruise tours. There are several. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55J5-5 Posted August 15, 2005 #18 Share Posted August 15, 2005 Thanks for the advice. Capt Marvin says he has openings. Think I'll check out what Capt. Bryan has to offer. Anyone have his website? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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