Only booked one!

[SuperExcited25]

So were going on our first cruise :D and since I have no idea what its going to be like and the excursions are FRICKEN EXPENSIVE we only booked one snorkeling/boatride excursion. Should I book another one or will it be fine to just get off the boat and hang at the beach and look around on the other islands?! Just wondering! Thanks:confused:

[Ashland]

So were going on our first cruise :D and since I have no idea what its going to be like and the excursions are FRICKEN EXPENSIVE we only booked one snorkeling/boatride excursion. Should I book another one or will it be fine to just get off the boat and hang at the beach and look around on the other islands?! Just wondering! Thanks:confused:

An itinerary would help answer your question...Yes, ship excursions can be very expensive, many times you can book private shore options/tours for a lot less..On many of our cruises we opt to go it on our own (DIY). Check the roll call for your ship/date/itinerary and you might get some good suggestions..Enjoy !!

[Keith1010]

You can do a lot of research on what to do in each port by visiting the Cruise Critic ports of call section.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

I would definitely want to look around the other ports and learn something about them.

Ports of Call here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[spunkyhungry]

You definitely do not need to buy excursions. I've actually enjoyed myself more on the days when we didn't have an excursion booked and just lounged at the beach all day.

[sparky-elpaso]

What I like to do is check out the ports in Google Earth to see what it looks like. Sometimes there will be a cruise ship there so you can actually see where the ship docks.

[chipq]

I prefer the DIY style and review the Ports of Call boards here and also a Frommer's tour book for the ports I will be visiting. Between the POC boards, Frommers and Google I can usually find interesting things to do and see. Just make sure that you leave adequate time to return to the ship or you will be spending much more time at teh port than you planned.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[trish1c]

When you book excursions through the cruiseline they will wait until you are back before sailing. If you wander around on your own or book indpendently, there are costs savings but you must keep an eye on the time.

As others have explained, you can wander through the port on your own or take a taxi to a beach. Both are very cheap. You can also check out the ports of call boards, tripadvisor, or other tour sites to find better deals. The secret is to do your homework. We've gotten tours that were 2x as long as the ones offered by the ship but 1/2 the price. Check out your Roll Call thread too; sometimes you can tag along at your expense on a deal somebody else found.