RareBird Posted December 6, 2011 #26 Share Posted December 6, 2011 we were in Samana last December on Royal Caribbean. Cayo was a paid excursion, and those who did not pay were left on their own in a very poor stop. I applaud NCL and hope Royal would follow suit. BTW, we're taking this same trip next year, and I specifically picked a route without Samana - no more for us, once was more than enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RareBird Posted December 6, 2011 #27 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Correct, Cayo Levantado contracts their own "fast" tenders and the ship uses life boats to tender people in to Samana. I took pictures of these 'fast tenders' when we went last year... they're no more than open washbuckets with seats! :p;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedish weave Posted December 7, 2011 #28 Share Posted December 7, 2011 So if we go early to get our ticket, do we then leave the ship immediately afterward? (wondering if I should go wait for ticket, leave DH in the cabin and go retrieve him to depart the ship.)Barbara It is normally a while after they distribute the tickets before they start calling numbers, so you will have time to get hubby from the cabin if you don't dawdle around after you get your tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdvmd Posted December 7, 2011 #29 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I have always read and been told that you gather your party together when you are ready to go ashore and then proceed together to get your tender tickets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedish weave Posted December 7, 2011 #30 Share Posted December 7, 2011 I have always read and been told that you gather your party together when you are ready to go ashore and then proceed together to get your tender tickets. That is what they say, but you will still have a few minutes if you get your tickets early. Different CD's may do it different, but the last few cruises I have made they ask one person to get tickets for the enitre party rather than having hundreds of people in line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylroslyn Posted December 14, 2011 #31 Share Posted December 14, 2011 Does anyone know if the excursion was free or paid on the current cruise? Is the experiement over? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weltek Posted December 15, 2011 #32 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Just off the Dawn today and took advantage of the free Cayo tender. We went later in the day, as it was raining off and on all day and the tenders were near empty. Bonus for us. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylroslyn Posted December 15, 2011 #33 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Just off the Dawn today and took advantage of the free Cayo tender. We went later in the day, as it was raining off and on all day and the tenders were near empty. Bonus for us. :) Thanks for posting......how was your trip? I'm in the final count down and I am interested in all things "DAWN"..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinMaterial Posted December 15, 2011 #34 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Just off the Dawn today and took advantage of the free Cayo tender. We went later in the day, as it was raining off and on all day and the tenders were near empty. Bonus for us. :) Thanks for the update! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy oooo Posted December 23, 2011 #35 Share Posted December 23, 2011 So we have had this excursion booked for a while now. So if it is still free for our 2/15 sailing on the Dawn, we will get an OBC for the amount we paid? And we loose our chance of being one of the first ones on the beach? I booked for the first tender out like we did for our crusise last year. Or do the people who booked prior to the sailing still get first dibs on getting there? Like free, but I'd rather pay and know that I get my choice of location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISIN' TOGETHER Posted December 24, 2011 #36 Share Posted December 24, 2011 we were in Samana last December on Royal Caribbean. Cayo was a paid excursion, and those who did not pay were left on their own in a very poor stop. I applaud NCL and hope Royal would follow suit. BTW, we're taking this same trip next year, and I specifically picked a route without Samana - no more for us, once was more than enough. I believe my husband and I, along with our family and friends cruising with us, would be in your "left on their own in a very poor stop" category. Hmm...we went to the Caves and Mangroves the first time in Samana and had a BLAST!! It was a great day! Second stop in Samana the next year...off to see the country of Samana and swim at the El Limon Waterfall. Another great day!! The country is beautiful...you just have to take the time to SEE!! This is a poor country, which is why I applaud NCL and any other cruise line for trying to help them by bringing in tourist dollars. Oh and guess what?? We will be back in Samana for a THIRD time...going whale watching and to the beach this time!!! Wanna bet I'll have a BLAST and an awesome time???? It's all in the attitude.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbmrt Posted December 26, 2011 Author #37 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Cayo trip was still free, but people with early private excursions had problems getting an early tender since NCL had so many tenders going to Cayo and their own Samana excursions. If you are in this predicament, the best thing to do is explain your situation to the Hotel Director or other officer the day before Samana. They will help you get an early tender. We decided to take an ATV tour with Terry's Tours and it was the highlight of our cruise! Just got home yesterday and will write a review asap, but don't miss this if you are interested in seeing the real Samana and not just the area near the port which isn't pretty at all. Barbara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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