MorganiCat Posted March 2, 2012 #1 Share Posted March 2, 2012 We are booked on the Regatta for the 7 day Caribbean in the Fall. I think we are having second thoughts already... What can anyone tell us about the Shore excursions? Did you purchase through Oceania? Beforehand, or on-board? What were they? Were they worth the price? Can you use a private company instead? What would you do in port if you didn't buy an excursion? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 2, 2012 #2 Share Posted March 2, 2012 We are booked on the Regatta for the 7 day Caribbean in the Fall. I think we are having second thoughts already... What can anyone tell us about the Shore excursions? Did you purchase through Oceania? Beforehand, or on-board? What were they? Were they worth the price? Can you use a private company instead? What would you do in port if you didn't buy an excursion? Thanks! There are three basic ways to tour any port: 1) A ship-sponsored shore excursion 2) A private tour 3) On your own Shore excursions (or "Shorexes") are offered by each cruise line as part of the services they provide for an extra charge. What the cruise lines do is to contract with local tour providers in each port for a variety of tours which, depending on the port, may include sightseeing, physical activities, food and beverage tours or more. The cruise line handles all of the logistics--finding the tour company, setting out the itinerary, etc. They check out each provider for things like safety record, insurance coverages, vehicle maintenance. All you need to do is to buy a ticket through the cruise line and show up at the place and time announced in each port--often in the showroom or lounge on the ship--from which you will be directly escorted to your tour...or, sometimes on the pier right next to the ship. You may purchase these in advance on the cruise line website...or you can purchase them, if space is available, on the ship--where there will be a "Shore Excursions" desk and available coordinators. You have the advantage that the ship monitors the tours and, for the most part, guarantees that the ship won't leave without you. The drawbacks include the fact that they are generally held with 30-40 people on a big bus and not very personal...and they often move slowly, waiting for 30-40 people to get on and off the bus at any stop. The cost is often a tad high because the cruise line charges what the tour provider charges them plus an extra premium for their management and coordination. An alternative to this is to hire a tour company on your own. This requires doing some research on the internet. In many ports, there are a large number of private tour providers. Often it helps to pre-arrange for a good one over the internet, by e-mail or by phone in advance of your cruise...though in SOME, not all, ports, there may be tour companies set up right by the pier offering tours. Private tours may be pre-arranged for just yourselves, with a small group or joining a larger group put together by the provider (which is likely a big bus trip similar to the shore excursions). The most effective way to do a private tour, from our experience, is to form or join a group with others on the "Roll Call" for your cruise here on Cruise Critic. In most places, a group of 6 or 8 works out to be the most efficient in terms of price vis-à-vis manageability. Private tours for 2 can be rather costly in most ports, private large bus tours seldom work out better than shorexes... In some ports, you may find that either no tour is needed or no tour quite does what you want to do. Perhaps you just want to wander around town on your own schedule or head for a beach and relax for the day. If that is the case, research your ports well. In many ports, the pier where the ship docks is nowhere near the sites you want to visit and you will need to arrange some transportation...Be aware of the ship schedule and the time needed to return. For a lot of first time cruisers, especially, Shorexes are the preferred way to go...they involve a minimum of advance planning, a minimum of risk. Many veteran cruisers like to arrange their own tours. But, be aware, there are some risks. Your chosen tour mates may flake out on you. Your tour guide or company may prove to be undependable. Whereas with a Shorex, if anything happens where the tour needs to be cancelled--like the ship missing the port--your money will be returned...If you've pre-paid a private guide, it may be more difficult to get a refund. Good luck... PS: I guess one question I should ask is the itinerary.... You can go to the Ports of Call boards here on Cruise Critic and ask for recommendations for specific ports...or scan through the threads and find recommendations... Are shorexes worth it? Sometimes yes and sometimes no...depends on what your expectations are...We've done some very good ones and some I wouldn't do again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted March 2, 2012 #3 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Great summary, Steve. The only thing I would add is that in the Caribbean there are very few islands that can't be done on one's own. Unless there is a specific activity involved I see very little reason to use ships' tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 2, 2012 #4 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Great summary, Steve. The only thing I would add is that in the Caribbean there are very few islands that can't be done on one's own. Unless there is a specific activity involved I see very little reason to use ships' tours. It's my "Generic" answer... Yes, Caribbean ports tend to be easier on one's own than, say, European ports... A lot of people just want to hit a beach somewhere...and you can often walk to those or take a taxi...Others just want to walk around town and shop... For us, we don't cruise to do beaches...We live near Malibu and the weather is great here year round...and shopping is not my thing either... So, even in the Caribbean, we've taken a lot of shore excursions... To animal sanctuaries, botanical gardens, historical sites, rum factories, river rafting, boat rides and so on... We tend to do these through the ship in the Caribbean as I am a bit wary of safety and liability issues in third world countries (About the only private tours I remember doing are for some Mayan ruins from Cancun and My Friend Mario's native tribe tour in Panama--which came highly recommended and beat the ship's excursions by a mile...)... So, it really all comes down to which ports and what the OP wants to see or do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganiCat Posted March 5, 2012 Author #5 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hey Steve - Thanks for the answer and the really great tips. The ports are: Key West, Belize City, Santo Tomas, Guatemala, and Cozumel. We have never to been to any of those locations. Has anyone? I did look through the Shore Excursions available on Oceania and started to try and research private options available through private companies on sites like Trip Advisor and Expedia. I am definitely going to look over in the ports of call threads as what I am looking for is specific recommendations. I won't know what interests us the most until I see all the options. I'm looking for someone to say, "Ah, yes, we went there; you can't miss the ...." or "Do not do that, it wasn't worth going." I can't find anything on Santo Tomas in Guatemala! I like to be prepared in advance and know what I am doing so I am comfortable, but I can also go with the flow once I have the information. In Cancun, we did wind up booking a private tour of Mayan ruins and cenotes after we were there (internet) and it was a wonderful experience. Infinitely better than being herded on a bus! I would be interested in hearing more about rum factory tours as I haven't seen information on those before. I also like your tip about taxis to beaches. Living in a landlocked state, getting to the ocean is important during vacation. We are big foodies, so any restaurant/food tips in those ports would be appreciated, too. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 5, 2012 #6 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Hey Steve - Thanks for the answer and the really great tips. The ports are: Key West, Belize City, Santo Tomas, Guatemala, and Cozumel. We have never to been to any of those locations. Has anyone? I did look through the Shore Excursions available on Oceania and started to try and research private options available through private companies on sites like Trip Advisor and Expedia. I am definitely going to look over in the ports of call threads as what I am looking for is specific recommendations. I won't know what interests us the most until I see all the options. I'm looking for someone to say, "Ah, yes, we went there; you can't miss the ...." or "Do not do that, it wasn't worth going." I can't find anything on Santo Tomas in Guatemala! I like to be prepared in advance and know what I am doing so I am comfortable, but I can also go with the flow once I have the information. In Cancun, we did wind up booking a private tour of Mayan ruins and cenotes after we were there (internet) and it was a wonderful experience. Infinitely better than being herded on a bus! I would be interested in hearing more about rum factory tours as I haven't seen information on those before. I also like your tip about taxis to beaches. Living in a landlocked state, getting to the ocean is important during vacation. We are big foodies, so any restaurant/food tips in those ports would be appreciated, too. Thanks! First, wrong ports for rum factories...You'd have to be in San Juan or St. Croix...Tequila factories are on the OTHER side of Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan area)...sorry... Cozumel has a lot of great Mayan ruin sites in the area...Tulum would be about the best for Cozumel--but, it requires a boat to get to a bus...remember, Cozumel is an island...Often "safe" to do that through a shore excursion...Last time we were there, we did a Segway/Snorkel tour... We're headed to Belize City in December...Belize is known for scuba abd snorkeling...but also has a lot of accessibke Mayan ruins...We are going to do a shorex to Lamanai--seems to get reviews as the "best" of the local ruins... Though I like private tours in Europe or Alaska or New Zealand, I hesitate to do them in ports like the above two--a fear of vehicle maintenance/safety/insurance issues... Key West is a town where you might just want to wander around town... Can't help with Guatemala...never been there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loum140 Posted March 5, 2012 #7 Share Posted March 5, 2012 If memory serves, in Guatemala (2009) Regatta docked right next to a large pier-side hospitality center. Inside were numerous tour operators, handicraft booths and a performance stage. We found another couple and shared a tour to a national park/rain forest/waterfall area. We were the only people there. It was wonderful. Truly beautiful. Took lots of nature photos. (Sorry, can't remember the name) Then we returned to the port, watched a performance and did some shopping. It was very enjoyable and not terribly costly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andee Posted March 5, 2012 #8 Share Posted March 5, 2012 We found Key West easy to see on our own--took the conch trolley (that's probably not the correct name) tour, went to the shipwreck museum and Truman's Little White House. Erest Hemmingway's House is also there. In Cozumel, we took the ship's shore excursion (something we rarely do) to Tulum, which we really enjoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fairweather Posted March 5, 2012 #9 Share Posted March 5, 2012 We stopped on a cruise ship at Cozumel and took a plane into the center of Mexico to see the Mayan ruin Chichen Itza. It was a fantastic tour one that we will never forget. The small plane landed in the middle of the jungle and we then took very old taxis to the ruins. An experience of a life time. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredFL Posted March 5, 2012 #10 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Don't just look at Trip Advisor, Expedia, etc for excursions. Search for private tours with the name of the location and the phrase "private tours" and see what comes up. Also check the boards for the area and then search for specific locations to see what others have recommended. Places like Trip Advisor and Expedia sell mostly commercial tours and not custom tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedward Posted March 5, 2012 #11 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I can't find anything on Santo Tomas in Guatemala! A number of years ago (2003), we stopped here on Veendam. There was not much at this port other than a military base, so it is likely to have improved since then. We selected a Rio Dulce river cruise, which included a trip to the ruins at Quirigua and lunch. We took the boat first, and the bus back, and this could be done in reverse. The river cruise was VERY picturesque, although a long day (see attached). regards, Ned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azam71209 Posted March 5, 2012 #12 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Check out your ship roll call. Usually there Are others who also want small excursions. We've been to Guatemala a number of times. Went to Antigua from a container port on the pacific, absolutely outstanding. We have gone back every year since on Rotary projects. We also stopped at a port on the Caribbean side but I dont remember the name. You will definitely not want to go wandering off alone but there should be tours available. Check out what the ship tours offer. That will tell you whether there is a walking tour of the local town, from the pier, meaning there will be things that you can see on your own nearby or what tours may be available that you could also book privately. Because some areas in Guatemala are not safe, it would be one time i might prefer a ship tour. In Cozumel we rented a car from Hertz right near the dock. We had an overnight so we just parked it in their lot overnight. Went to some ruins, beaches, etc. People who booked ship tous were disappointed because it was too windy for snorkeling,etc. and tours cancelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetocruise16 Posted March 6, 2012 #13 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi, MorganiCat, We live in the Keys and recommend you check out these sites: www.keywestinfo.com and www.gotothekeys.com to get some ideas. Key West is a tiny town that you can walk around comfortably in 2 hours. There are local conch train tours that you can purchase once on the pier, and many vendors who will offer snorkeling, scuba, etc., excursions. I would recommend you decide what you want to do first, and choose a local vendor which will be cheaper than the ship's tours. Key West is a cute walkaround town, with lots of bars and restaurants, a shipwreck museum, Mel Fisher museum, art studios, souveniers galore...the usual cruise port activities. You'll dock right in town, so can walk to everything. Try the key lime pie....the regular and the one on a stick. Regatta is a lovely ship, and you'll enjoy being on it. Has a role call been started for this cruise yet? You may want to check or start one yourself. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Norton Posted March 6, 2012 #14 Share Posted March 6, 2012 One benefit of using the ship tours is that if the tour runs late they'll hold the ship for you (I've never seen otherwise but there probably are some horror stories out there). If you take the a private tour and show up late there might not be a ship to board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted March 6, 2012 #15 Share Posted March 6, 2012 If you take the a private tour and show up late there might not be a ship to board. If you plan right a private tour should not be late we always make sure we are scheduled to be back 2hrs prior to sailaway, then if you are running behind you have wiggle room Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted March 6, 2012 #16 Share Posted March 6, 2012 One benefit of using the ship tours is that if the tour runs late they'll hold the ship for you (I've never seen otherwise but there probably are some horror stories out there). If you take the a private tour and show up late there might not be a ship to board. From the Passenger Ticket Contract (Italics and Highlight mine): Should the actions or inactions of any Guest(s) result in the Ship not sailing at its scheduled departure time, Carrier shall assess Late Departure Fees, beginning at US$1,000.00 per Guest, to said Guest(s) directly responsible for any departure that is delayed more then 15 minutes beyond the scheduled and published departure time, to cover the costs levied against Carrier by port authorities, governmental and quasi-governmental agencies as agreed and liquidated damages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksps cruise fan Posted March 6, 2012 #17 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Also check the boards for the area and then search for specific locations to see what others have recommended. To find the approriate board, click on the word "Boards" just under the Cruise Critic logo on the home page. This will take you to a huge variety of Boards. Click on the link to Ports of Call. Next, click on each port on your itinerary. For example, Cozumel and Belize each have individual links in the Caribbean category. Key West and Guatemala are accessed directly from the same list that includes the broad category "Caribbean." Guatemala: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=460 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capecodder2 Posted March 6, 2012 #18 Share Posted March 6, 2012 In Santo Tomas we took a ship excursion to the beach. As said above, it isn't a place I want to take chances in with regards to quality of vehicles or anything else. I was more comfortable doing a ship excursion. Curious as to why OP said he was having second thoughts - was it just shore excursions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganiCat Posted March 6, 2012 Author #19 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Thanks to everyone for all their great replies. I think I am well on my way to getting the information I need. I'm getting great tips from lots of message boards. In terms of having second thoughts, it's because our last vacation was pretty much all inclusive (not including private tours) and when I am starting to look at everything that isn't included with a cruise, it's adding up pretty quickly. What's this about port fees not being included? Can someone explain that? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruin Steve Posted March 6, 2012 #20 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Thanks to everyone for all their great replies. I think I am well on my way to getting the information I need. I'm getting great tips from lots of message boards. In terms of having second thoughts, it's because our last vacation was pretty much all inclusive (not including private tours) and when I am starting to look at everything that isn't included with a cruise, it's adding up pretty quickly. What's this about port fees not being included? Can someone explain that? Thanks! I gave up on "all-inclusives" years ago... Sure, they MAY include a lot within the price...but you are stuck full time in the same place... And, it really isn't comparable to a cruise...and certainly not to an Oceania cruise... There really is not that much "not included"--bar bill, internet, gambling (of course), shore excursions, gratuities...But what IS included is darn good--All food, specialty restaurants, entertainment... I'm not sure how they are quoting the prices nowadays--with or without the port taxes--but, to us veteran cruisers, that is really no big deal...You pay them one way or another and they are what they are... Best to look only at your bottom line price...A hint here: Don't just book it through the cruise line...Find a really good travel agent...Many travel agents will discount what the cruise line quotes in some fashion or another--either a straightforward discount in price or in the form of an onboard credit or some other freebie--like free gratuities, shore excursions or pre- and post-cruise hotels...There are even sites where discounting travel agents will "compete" for your business...I would try one of those--you will likely find that you save more than the port taxes and gratuities put together. And, remember, it's not how someone packages a price...NOTHING IS FREE--anywhere...Even at an all-inclusive...You pay for what you get in some fashion or another... It all comes down to the bottom line...What will you pay? And remember, you also tend to get exactly what you pay for... If you are concerned with budget, just figure it all out on a spread sheet--bottom line what are you going to pay for air, cruise, gratuities, shore tours, bar bill, pre- and post-cruise hotels, etc. Either the total budget is worth it to you or it isn't... IMHO, the bottom line here is that an Oceania cruise is well worth whatever it is you pay for it... good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esther e Posted March 8, 2012 #21 Share Posted March 8, 2012 And just FYI, conch is pronounced "konk." We Floridians cringe when we wear someone pronounce it the way it's spelled, and I imagine the members of the Conch Republic roll their eyes.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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