Excursions not with RCI?

[robgbrooklyn]

We're very excited about our upcoming cruise. We're looking into excursions in St. Thomas (snorkeling & bbq at honeymoon beach) & Samana, DR (not sure what to do yet). We're wondering if anyone have booked the tour without booking it with RCI? If you can recommend a tour company that'd be great.

[Retired LEO]

We're very excited about our upcoming cruise. We're looking into excursions in St. Thomas (snorkeling & bbq at honeymoon beach) & Samana, DR (not sure what to do yet). We're wondering if anyone have booked the tour without booking it with RCI? If you can recommend a tour company that'd be great.

 

There's lots of good info on the Ports of Call - St. Thomas board. You'll probably get a better response there.

[M&M Hayden]

If you can recommend a tour company that'd be great.

 

Not sure I'm supposed to do this, but we have used www dot shoretrips dot com.

Used ships brochure times to book a tour and they came back and said that ship wasn't in port until an hour later....so they paid attention to the details and it worked out wonderfully.

[uksimonusa]

Not sure I'm supposed to do this, but we have used www dot shoretrips dot com.

Used ships brochure times to book a tour and they came back and said that ship wasn't in port until an hour later....so they paid attention to the details and it worked out wonderfully.

 

 

Ship time and Island time can be different, always wear a watch set to ship time when ashore

[cb at sea]

Do some research on your ports before you start booking excursions. Many things require NO excursion at all...you just grab a cab and go. Much cheaper and easier, and you're on your own timetable. But, research on your ports is key!!!

[debshomespun]

We very seldom do the ship excursions. We do take recommendations from other cruisers here on cruisecritic. If I find a new excursions, I will then ask in the ports of call section to get some feedback from others. You can save some money, and have a much better excursion booking privately.

[ckrobyn]

The only issue (fear) I have with going out on the islands alone, is the potential of missing the ship!!! I am always worried that there won't be a cab to take us back to the ship. Am I being crazy, or do others share the same concern??:o

[Retired LEO]

The only issue (fear) I have with going out on the islands alone, is the potential of missing the ship!!! I am always worried that there won't be a cab to take us back to the ship. Am I being crazy, or do others share the same concern??:o

 

What do all of the CD's say? "Be sure to have your camera with you so you can take a picture of the ship as it sails away".

[melbur]

we book private tours whenever possible, much more freedom, better prices. As long as you do your homework, pre-arrange everything including return to ship, etc. you'll find you get a much more personalized tour. This is particularly advantageous in European ports. We've never had a problem in the islands with private tours.

[Tranquil Waters]

The only issue (fear) I have with going out on the islands alone, is the potential of missing the ship!!! I am always worried that there won't be a cab to take us back to the ship. Am I being crazy, or do others share the same concern??:o

 

I do understand your concerns. :) We just choose to be selective about which things we will do on our own and which we opt for ship tours. Research will let you find if there is plenty of readily available transportation to get you back to the ship. And we always allow extra time (for insurance ;) ). We only book - if using a local tour - with people that there have multiple positive reviews over a length of time (better yet if the reviews from long time CC members that I have come to trust over the years).

 

But if traveling further "afield" will always book ship - ie when we did Tulum we would never have planned tto do that on our own.

[DonnaK]

The only issue (fear) I have with going out on the islands alone, is the potential of missing the ship!!! I am always worried that there won't be a cab to take us back to the ship. Am I being crazy, or do others share the same concern??:o

 

I can only speak of my experiences in the Caribbean.

 

If you select a private tour guide that comes highly recommended on the Cruise Critic port of call board for that port (such as Marva Shaw in jamaica), they make sure to get you back to the ship in time. It would damage their reputation too much if there ever was an issue, and they'd be out of business swiftly...their livelihood depends upon it.

 

There are other insurances you can put into place. Dont venture too far away from the ship, and leave yourself plenty of time to get back. For example, if we were to go to the Mayan ruins from Cozumel, we would only book it through the ship because it's a very long tour that takes you very far from the port. The timeframe would cut it too close for comfort in getting back in time.

 

As far as just grabbing a cab...again, it's safer on some islands than on others, but if you do your research here beforehand, you'll be ok.

[dixieva]

We always book tours on our own, usually get a private taxi to take us around. We do these tours in the morning, go back to the ship for lunch and after lunch we get back off and walk around the port area. This way we feel safer in getting back to the ship on time.

[MrsPete]

Do some research on your ports before you start booking excursions. Many things require NO excursion at all...you just grab a cab and go. Much cheaper and easier, and you're on your own timetable. But, research on your ports is key!!!

Good advice. I really dislike ship excursions. Without exception, the ones I've taken have been overly-large groups herded along by lackluster, uninterested guides. With them, you're not free to stop at the restroom when you want, you cannot stop at a cute little shop or tavern . . . but they allot excessive time to shop at some dull little straw market that's giving the ship a kick-back to bring in customers. Even if private excursions weren't so much cheaper, I would still use them.

The only issue (fear) I have with going out on the islands alone, is the potential of missing the ship!!! I am always worried that there won't be a cab to take us back to the ship. Am I being crazy, or do others share the same concern??:o

I vote crazy. No, seriously, crazy's too strong a word, but overly-concerned about something unlikely to happen is an apt phrase. Really, how many stories have you read on this board about people being left behind?

 

As long as you're choosing an excursion that doesn't go far, far from the port, you're fine. The tour operators who are discussed on this (and other) boards can be trusted to get you back on time. If you're on your own, taxis are everywhere; remember that most of these islands' local economies revolve around tourism. Taxis are everywhere.

 

You should use common sense and caution in choosing your own shore excursions. When you book, you should pay attention to the time (and the ship's time, when there's a difference). When you disembark, you should check your watch and be 100% certain that you know when the ship sails. You should head back to the ship with a full hour's buffer to be sure you're safe. You shouldn't allow your party to split up, and everyone in your group should wear a watch. Common sense stuff.

 

Also, I'm not too big on the idea of renting a car. There IS risk there. A taxi driver or a tour driver (who knows the area) is less likely to get lost or wreck because he was trying to read street signs. Those people are used to driving in the local conditions.

 

Now, I personally wouldn't book just anything on my own -- some things are okay, some things aren't. For example, in Cozumel if you want to see the ruins at Tulum you must take a taxi to a ferry, then ride a van or bus about an hour. 3 different forms of transportation to get you there. That's too many variables and too much risk. That's not in the same category as taking a taxi to an activity 15-20 minutes from the port.

 

Also, some excursions -- for example, some of the dolphin swim type things in some locations -- are so popular that the cruise line "buys up" all the excursions and you literally cannot book on your own.

What do all of the CD's say? "Be sure to have your camera with you so you can take a picture of the ship as it sails away".

Yeah, but who pays them to say that? The same cruise line that makes big bucks from selling you shore excursions.

[setsail]

What do all of the CD's say? "Be sure to have your camera with you so you can take a picture of the ship as it sails away".

 

We were in Coz. a few years ago and there were 9 ships there. Too many ships and not enough dock space so one of the Rccl ships was just drifting out (staying in place with the engines) and used tenders.

 

We were sitting at an outdoor eatery and noticed this ship moving all of a sudden so we figured it was leaving. Well so did alot of people on shore. There were hords of people running down the street towards the dock area thinking they were being left.

 

It turns out that another ship left, so the Rccl ship was coming in to dock.

[robgbrooklyn]

Great advice..I'm feeling better, I'll do more research in ports of call forum to find reliable tour company to book our tours.

[waterbugohio]

Another thing I found very reasurring on our first cruise last year was to join our roll call and join up with other people on our cruise for some of the private excursions. Especially when some had been to these island before. Also, safety in numbers!!

[critterchick]

9 times out of 10 we will either book an independent tour or do something on our own. The exception would be a tour that takes us far afield or an excurison that is captive to the cruiselines - the America's Cup yacht races in St. Maarten or Cabo San Lucas, for example. We do our research on CC or read various guidebooks and decide from there.

 

I try to plan something in every port unless we've been there before. Otherwise I find that we often just wander aimlessly wondering what we're looking at before we get bored or frustrated and go back to the ship because we can't think of what else to do. That's only happened a couple of times, and I'm not planning on it happening again.

[cruiserbryce]

I would be sure to do some looking before you book with another company. Although they are more expensive through the ship if the tour runs late they will wait...if you book on your own and anything delays you...you may be watching the ship leave from the pier:rolleyes:

[flarad]

Definitely that the cds get paid to sell the ship excursions and they want you to be afraid, very afraid... to book outside the ship. On the islands there are so many alternatives. Frequently you can get a taxi at the dock that will take you anywhere for half the price. Do check out the port boards they are full of info. We've used shoretrips dot com also and have always been very impressed with their trips. Much smaller that the ship excursions and personalized experience.