Rci & ship excursion question please

[JGORD7]

So I want to be clear on this... If we book an excursion throught RCI they will not leave us if for some reason we were delayed on the excursion, correct? We only have the passport cards so air travel is not an option if we got left behind..

[ryano]

So I want to be clear on this... If we book an excursion throught RCI they will not leave us if for some reason we were delayed on the excursion, correct? We only have the passport cards so air travel is not an option if we got left behind..

 

They will not leave you if you are delayed getting back to the ship and if they DO have to leave, they are responsible for getting you to the next port or home on their dime.

 

However, i dont know what would happen with the passport card situation if you had to fly somewhere.

[LESLIEKURZ]

They guarantee to get you back on the ship if there is a situation but depending on what happens air travel may be necessary which could be difficult without an actual passport.

[ERIE 13]

If you are on one of there tours they will wait for you. That happened to us and we were late due to traffic. We were the last tender back and we were about thirty min. late. As soon as the tender was raised we were under way.

[DonnaK]

The best thing to do when traveling in the Caribbean without a passport is to take half-day, morning excursions that are scheduled to return several hours before all-aboard time. You can even venture off on your own - just don't go too far, and plan to return with plenty of time to spare. This way, you minimize the risk.

 

What ports are you traveling to? There are many "safe" options that you can feel comfortable with.

[JGORD7]

The best thing to do when traveling in the Caribbean without a passport is to take half-day, morning excursions that are scheduled to return several hours before all-aboard time. You can even venture off on your own - just don't go too far, and plan to return with plenty of time to spare. This way, you minimize the risk.

 

What ports are you traveling to? There are many "safe" options that you can feel comfortable with.

I was interested in doing an excursion in each of Grand Caymen & Ocho Rios Jamaica and will definitely book thru ship as we are cruise virgins for one & being we only have the passport card can't be left behind.... No clue what we would do if we were... scares me..lol

[JGORD7]

The best thing to do when traveling in the Caribbean without a passport is to take half-day, morning excursions that are scheduled to return several hours before all-aboard time. You can even venture off on your own - just don't go too far, and plan to return with plenty of time to spare. This way, you minimize the risk.

 

What ports are you traveling to? There are many "safe" options that you can feel comfortable with.

Any recommendations?? I want to snorkel, DB wants to zipline & I was thinking about the horseback riding & dunns river falls....

[DonnaK]

Any recommendations?? I want to snorkel, DB wants to zipline & I was thinking about the horseback riding & dunns river falls....

 

In Grand Cayman, take a snorkel excursion that also stops at Stingray city...you can do this through RCI. Again, book the first timeslot, and you'll be fine.

 

In Ocho Rios, I would book a private excursion with Marva Shaw (www.knowjamaica.com) She is awesome, very reliable and will make sure you get back to the ship in plenty of time. Our favorite Ocho excursion is river tubing. (You can do this through RCI too)

 

The ship's daily newsletter, which is left on your bed each night when you are at dinner, has the name and contact info for RCI's agent in each port. Take this info with you, as this is the person who will assist you if you have any problems while ashore.

 

Take precautions to minimize your risk of being late, and then don't worry so much about it. Very, very few people miss the ship, compared to the large number of people who are on time. WE traveled without a passport until recently, and always made plans that included getting back to the ship a couple of hours early.

[newbiecruiser09]

being we only have the passport card can't be left behind.... No clue what we would do if we were... scares me..lol

 

 

I thought that you could only get the passport cards as an add on to the passport. Can you get them separately? .

[JGORD7]

I thought that you could only get the passport cards as an add on to the passport. Can you get them separately? .

Yes you can just buy the passport card now as I said though it's good for certain places & cruises & ports but you can NOT use it for air travel and it's only like 60.00 as opposed to the 120.00. We did this only because we have never left the country & don't plan on flying out of the country anytime soon so we thought this would be ok. Now that I've thought more about it i wish i would have the passport book so I wouldn't have to worry so much.. Just my nature i guess....

[cb at sea]

The liklihood of being left behind is really quite slim. Even if you don't have a passport, you WILL get home...no worries. It may be a bit of a hassle, but the country you're stranded in DOES NOT WANT YOU! You will get home, or to the ship...wherever. It's not the huge deal that passport fanatics think it is!

 

So, you do not have to book thru the ship, or book an "excursion" at all....just be aware of the ship's time, and get back to the ship 30 mins. before it's due to sail. It's not hard. Tens of thousands of people do it every week.