Carnival Excursions

[Luvoceans]

Is it better to book with Carnival or on your own ? If your ship misses the port because of weather and you booked it thru Carnival will you get your money back ?

[alligirl78]

Is it better to book with Carnival or on your own ? If your ship misses the port because of weather and you booked it thru Carnival will you get your money back ?

 

Yes, you will get your money back from Carnival. And many private vendors have similar policies. I booked with one in Cozumel and we were unable to participate due to weather and received a full refund. Others have you put down a deposit, or even just take your name, and have you pay cash the day of your excursion to avoid the hassle of refunds if necessary. Just depends on the company.

[Ontario_Cruiser]

Is it better to book with Carnival or on your own ? If your ship misses the port because of weather and you booked it thru Carnival will you get your money back ?

 

This is a personal preference. Many people prefer private excursions as they are less crowded, often less expensive, and offer more variety. Reputable operators will know the ships schedule and will ensure that you get back on time.

 

However, things happen - the taxi can get a flat and not have a spare. The ship will not wait for you if you are on a private excursion. If you have prepaid the excursion (some require it) and you miss the port due to weather, you may be SOL. You would really have to ask about this before you pay, as missing ports is always a possibility.

[Warm Breezes]

Is it better to book with Carnival or on your own ? If your ship misses the port because of weather and you booked it thru Carnival will you get your money back ?

 

For me it depends on the Port and the Excursion. We have done both. For example in Jamaica I booked a Carnival Excursion for safety. In Cuzumel I booked the Jet Boat through Carnival because they were the only ones that offered it. In Grand Cayman we booked an excursion at a booth when we tendered in. In Cozumel I booked a Jeep Tour through Island Marketing. In Tortula I booked the Dolphin Experience On-Line independantly. I do my research and choose from there.

 

We missed Grand Cayman one time due to weather and the Carnival excursion we had booked there was refunded to us. In Costa Maya we had booked a Beach Break through Island Marketing and it poured all day so did not go. I sent them an e-mail and they refunded my money.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Warm Breezes

[uncleg]

I always book through Carnival...sometimes it cost more but its worth the peace of mind to know the ship will not leave without you should you be delayed in some way.

[getupgo]

Never have booked thru Carnival. Never a problem but arriving in Nassau late us causing a problem finding a snorkel trip this year. May have to skip it if I won't pony up the overcharging ship excursion.

[Lovefuninthesun]

I always book through Carnival...sometimes it cost more but its worth the peace of mind to know the ship will not leave without you should you be delayed in some way.

 

Plus, now they have an excursion guarantee -- if it is the same itinerary as the excursion offered by Carnival , they will match the price, refund the difference, etc.

IMO, you can't lose.

[golfadj]

Plus, now they have an excursion guarantee -- if it is the same itinerary as the excursion offered by Carnival , they will match the price, refund the difference, etc.

IMO, you can't lose.

 

Actually you can. Very often they will decide excursion doesnt match exactly.

 

We find private to be better and much less crowded. Why go on a big bus when we can go on a van.

 

We do make sure the excursion is scheudled to be back well before sailaway.

 

Only exception is if the site is very far from the ship.

[cjnwildfire]

We have done both as well, but I stopped booking thru the cruise line a couple of cruises ago.

 

Let me preface this by saying, I do A LOT of RESEARCH before I book an excursion.

I have never had a problem and any one that I book with has to have a "if you miss the boat" guarantee! I always get that in writing (email). And if they can't do that, I don't book, PERIOD!

The excursions are often longer, less people, less expensive and WAY better!

[Yazoo cruiser]

We ussually book through Carnival. On one cruise in Montego Bay, a private company, very reputable, was in a wreck coming back to the port and our tablemates were left stranded in Jamaica. I know this is VERY RARE but for our peace of mind we now book through Carnival.

[OCruisers]

We book through the ship unless we are just taking a taxi someplace.

LuLu

[serene56]

I always book through Carnival...sometimes it cost more but its worth the peace of mind to know the ship will not leave without you should you be delayed in some way.

 

 

 

IF the ship cancels a port because of weather-- you get back what you paid for that port charge. could be less then 10 bucks.

 

 

o ly deal with reputable places-if you go with a reputabale place they will refund your money if the ship doesnt make it to port- but will not refund if you just decided not to go because of the rain- and be mindful of any time zone changes that may occur

Edited August 14, 2014 by serene56

[T. Advisor King]

We have done both as well, but I stopped booking thru the cruise line a couple of cruises ago.

 

Let me preface this by saying, I do A LOT of RESEARCH before I book an excursion.

I have never had a problem and any one that I book with has to have a "if you miss the boat" guarantee! I always get that in writing (email). And if they can't do that, I don't book, PERIOD!

The excursions are often longer, less people, less expensive and WAY better!

 

I generally try to avoid booking "excursions" period. I find it more fun, more of an adventure and less costly to do-it-yourself. Why pay $90 each for a family of four when you can rent a car for $50 and pay a small entry fee for wherever you're going?

 

That said, sometimes do-it-yourself isn't practical. So in cases where I am booking excursions I'll do what others have mentioned above. If it is a long distance or if safety is a significant issue, I'll book with Carnival. Otherwise, I'll try to book privately because you usually get quite a bit more for quite a bit less.

 

Wildfire - I'm curious what sort of "guarantee" a private company can offer you. Is it simply they guarantee that if they don't get you back to the ship on time they will refund your cost (which seems like little comfort if it means you're going to try to catch up to the ship on your own)? Do they guarantee that they will pay for you to catch up to the ship? If so, I question the reliability of that guarantee. They can't actually guarantee that they'll catch you up. All they can do is make their best efforts (which I presume depends on flight schedules to the next port, availability of seats, etc.) and pay the cost.

[cjnwildfire]

I generally try to avoid booking "excursions" period. I find it more fun, more of an adventure and less costly to do-it-yourself. Why pay $90 each for a family of four when you can rent a car for $50 and pay a small entry fee for wherever you're going?

 

That said, sometimes do-it-yourself isn't practical. So in cases where I am booking excursions I'll do what others have mentioned above. If it is a long distance or if safety is a significant issue, I'll book with Carnival. Otherwise, I'll try to book privately because you usually get quite a bit more for quite a bit less.

 

Wildfire - I'm curious what sort of "guarantee" a private company can offer you. Is it simply they guarantee that if they don't get you back to the ship on time they will refund your cost (which seems like little comfort if it means you're going to try to catch up to the ship on your own)? Do they guarantee that they will pay for you to catch up to the ship? If so, I question the reliability of that guarantee. They can't actually guarantee that they'll catch you up. All they can do is make their best efforts (which I presume depends on flight schedules to the next port, availability of seats, etc.) and pay the cost.

 

I try to find people who guarantee to fly you to the next port. Part of my research includes the cost of having to fly to the next port, hotel prices, ect...I am very thorough!

I will only book with places that have a good reputation, thru here or other trip advising sites that I use. I read as many reviews as possible and not just the GOOD ones. I have learned to tell who is just whining and who is really telling the real story! Again, A LOT of research!

We love the water and with kids in tow, it is easier to book an "excursion" than do it ourselves type things. We have done that on solos with just my DH and I tho. We also Scuba dive and Kids like snorkeling. We can also book thru our dive shop and they help us with the times. Because these are people who the shop does business with and most of the time someone who is good friends with the owners, they don't want to get a bad review when we get back, so they will bend over backward to get us back to the ship.

 

I will say this tho, I rely heavily on my instinct! If I have even a thought that something doesn't feel right, or I don't feel comfortable, I DON'T DO IT!

[cjnwildfire]

One more thing. I have never had to use that "guarantee". I...ME...MYSELF....Pay attention.

Don't book something that gets back at 2:30 and the ship leaves at 3:00!

I always leave a cushion...

We are usually back at the pier at least 2 (I said TWO) hrs before the ship leaves.

WE book for the earliest we can and if I can't have that CUSHION...I DON'T DO IT....PERIOD!

It is after all, at this point, YOUR responsibility to get back to the boat!:eek:

You can always cut an excursion short...better to do that!

 

 

Hope this helps....I am happy to help anyone who needs a little extra guidance!

jlcruse@live.com:)