vickie_bernie Posted August 12, 2010 #1 Share Posted August 12, 2010 So when it comes to shore excursions what do you prefer: Princess' excursions Private excursions booked yourself Just walking off the ship and winging it Staying on board A little of all the above Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovevacadays Posted August 12, 2010 #2 Share Posted August 12, 2010 I have had some great Princess sponsored excursions but my very favorites were two I booked on my own: Mazatlan Frank in Mazatlan and Victor Bodden in Roatan. They were fabulous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putterdude Posted August 12, 2010 #3 Share Posted August 12, 2010 In developing nations or those which are politically unsettled we do ship sponsored tours but for the rest we prefer independent tours that we have researched...particularly on CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainron Posted August 12, 2010 #4 Share Posted August 12, 2010 So when it comes to shore excursions what do you prefer: Princess' excursions Private excursions booked yourself Just walking off the ship and winging it Staying on board A little of all the above Did a day tour (ziplining, beach, croc watch, etc) with Charlie Spto while in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Charlie is the better guide than his colleague (name forgotten). Ciao for now!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruisin' Chick Posted August 12, 2010 #5 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Can't put the last choice. Most of the time, I do the research for the family and then we just wing it and walk around the port. Every once in a while we do a ship-sponsored tour as we have felt the quality has been better for us than ones we have booked independently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted August 12, 2010 #6 Share Posted August 12, 2010 I do a combination of "all of the above." If I'm in a country that I'm unfamiliar with, haven't a clue about the language, and/or don't want to chance getting lost or delayed, I book Princess tours. Sometimes I book independent tours, often with groups put together by members of my roll call; sometimes if I've been to the port before, I wander off the ship and find a local; and sometimes, I don't bother getting off the ship. It all depends on the itinerary, ports, etc. For instance, next January, I'll probably just get off the ship for lunch in Mazarlan and Puerto Vallarta, and stay on the ship in Acapulco. For my upcoming T/A, I've booked private tours in a couple of ports, ship's tours in others, and probably just get off the ship and do a HOHO in Dublin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weluv2cruise2007 Posted August 12, 2010 #7 Share Posted August 12, 2010 I have always found it to be quite a bit cheaper to do independent or DIY touring. We have even rented a car (in the Caribbean) and practically followed one of the tours (somewhat unintentional!) for a fraction of what it would have cost us for the 5 of us and we were able to control our schedule and not feel like herded cattle. This board and others have been very helpful with sharing the experiences of private tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted August 12, 2010 #8 Share Posted August 12, 2010 We do mostly private excursions with members of our roll call. There is usually a group of 6 to 12 of us. It is much cheaper than the ship tours. We see much more than the ship's tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tak8 Posted August 12, 2010 #9 Share Posted August 12, 2010 If port time is short, I prefer princess. If it's a day in port, I prefer to research on my own or wing the day. Still up to me to get back, but I've done some great excursions, because I went on my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted August 12, 2010 #10 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Should have said "Wing it, with research ahead of time!" We mainly do beaches, and they seldom need an excursion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croptop Posted August 12, 2010 #11 Share Posted August 12, 2010 We're a "walk off and wing it" type of family. When I'm on vacation I hate having to stick to someone else's schedule. Of course the downside is that we probably miss out on something really amazing but as long as we still have fun at each port, I'm satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wilkies Posted August 12, 2010 #12 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Think it really depends on where you are. Have done it ourselves in Europe and the Caribbean, but not in countries such as Guatamala where we did a Princess tour and arrived back at the ship just over 2 hours after the ship should have sailed!!! Dread to think what would have happened it it had been a DIY tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpace58 Posted August 12, 2010 #13 Share Posted August 12, 2010 We use Princess sponsored tours. We like the idea that IF something happens and we miss the boat, we will be taken care of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shashi883 Posted August 12, 2010 #14 Share Posted August 12, 2010 When we started cruising we did ship sponsored tours. Now that we got the hang of it we do our research and book our own excursions. Some of the ship tours have been so packed that it isn't even fun. I like smaller groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.