A Carnival excursion that was worth the extra money?

[bklsmom]

We've been to Belize 7 times, and first 2 times did excursions through the cruise line, and the last 5 we booked privately. We've done captain your own boat, snorkel at shark ray alley and caye caulker, cave tubing, Altun Ha and river Wallace, and zip lining all privately, we will be in Belize again in April and plan on doing a private excursion to Lamanai ruins. We are never worried about arriving late. If the private tour groups got people back late they would lose a lot of business. We always plan though, just in case and know that we could always fly to the next port of call should we miss the ship....but we don't worry about it. Life is a journey, live it! That's our motto and we are not young people, we are mid 50's empty nesters just wanting to have a fun time!!

[KARTI1955]

I second La Casa en la Playa in Cozumel. You can't book that through other sources, and it is a wonderful, relaxing beach day with perfect attentive service, authentic Mexican food, and unlimited drinks (the Mojitos were great!).

 

Third that. What an amazing day! I have done this one twice and will do it every time I am in Cozumel. Hands down best excursion ever.

[amsred2]

Dolphin Swim and Snorkeling in Puerto Vallarta. They take you to a hidden beach where you have to swim through a tunnel and come out into this open, collapsed cave on a gorgeous spot. The swim was a little scary and totally exhilarating...and worth every penny just to be there. The tour also stops for some snorkeling in a protected cove. After, they serve a tasty picnic-like lunch with entertainment and the crew of the boat was the best of any tour I've taken.

 

 

Edited October 13, 2015 by amsred2
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[winddawn]

Tracy Arm Fjord Explorer. It was great. If you sail on Carnival you have to book with them. There's no way this could be done privately. On other lines it can sometimes depending on port schedule, but not with Carnival.

I'm glad you mentioned this one. I went and looked at it online and now I want to go back to Alaska just to do this! What port did you do this excursion from? One thing I read says Juneau, but another said it wasn't from a port but they took you right from the ship.

[mkam2821]

Venice, we did 2 Carnioval excursions (because we had a lot of onboard credit after paying early saver and then had price drops), we did Doge Palace with Ca Resonico (spelling?) and the Jewish ghetto. Both utilized EXCELLENT local guides and our group(s) were small.

[KatieCharlotte]

Belize, like others have mentioned, is the one place we knew we wanted a Carnival excursion for peace of mind, since we were going to be gone all day and had small children with us. The River Wallace boat ride, lunch, and Altun Ha was excellent and we were able to relax, even though our group was late getting back and were on the last tender.

 

In Progresso, Carnival's Mayan ruins and rodeo was a relaxing, fun day for me and the kids, while my husband took a private tour to Uxmal.

[hallsn3961]

Blue Holes Snorkel and Kayak in Freeport. It was a phenomenal experience.

[Normal 1]

I'm glad you mentioned this one. I went and looked at it online and now I want to go back to Alaska just to do this! What port did you do this excursion from? One thing I read says Juneau, but another said it wasn't from a port but they took you right from the ship.

 

Will second the Tracy Arm Explorerer Adventure. It is NOT from a port. The ship will stop so the double decker Explorer Boat can come along side and load passengers. The Boat travels faster than the Ship but both go the same direction. After a couple hours, the Boat returns the first load to the ship and picks up a 2nd load. The Boat can get up close to shore where the Ship can't. Fabulous time.

 

Also, on the Alaskan itinerary, in Skagway is the Laughton Glacier Hike with Train. This is an all day excursion including 8 miles on the narrow gauge RR. You deboard train and begin hike to the glacier. Company provides day packs and lunch/snacks. You actually get to walk on the glacier. It is a FABULOUS experience. Not too rigorous for those in moderate shape. Some chose not to hike all the way to the glacier (my husband one of those due to knee issues). The last mile or so was rocky and a bit tough. Guides are with you all the time.

 

When we reboarded train (the train that dropped us off continued on its merry way), there were several passengers very concerned they would miss the ship due to lateness. They were fellow Carnival passengers and we assured them that the 20 in our group were on a Carnival excursion and we were certain the Ship would not leave us. We were about 30 minutes late getting back to the ship.

 

The glacier hike was the hi-light of our B2B in Alaska. Alaska is expensive. Anything involving air transport is more so. This excursion allowed us to get up close and personal with some of the beauty of the area. Cost was $250 each but well worth it for an all day excursion including food/snacks.

 

Everyone should do Alaska at least once. It is beautiful. We spent 2 weeks on the ship and I would jump at the chance to do it all again.

[coevan]

I will not do a tour on my own in a port that you have to tender.

 

What is the difference? The tender goes back to the ship from the same place.

[ladygal4.4]

What is the difference? The tender goes back to the ship from the same place.

 

 

Tenders take a long time, And it can be easy to miss the boat

 

 

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[coevan]

They will have you back in time, that's their job, no different then a CCL tour, same tour operators. Possibly even the same boat, you are just paying more.

[BenjiRodney]

What is the difference? The tender goes back to the ship from the same place.

 

 

Booking your excursion at a tender port with Carnival and they make sure you are one of the first off the ship. You don't have to go wait for a sticker to be called off. Their excursions get priority first.

 

 

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[ohiowilly]

If you are looking for a St Thomas tour, and are considering a visit to St John, one of the Carnival excursions may be a good value, and simplify the logistics of getting to/from St John, without the worry of missing the ferry going from/to the ship, before and after.

 

I've not tried to visit St John personally, but I've researched a self-directed tour extensively; I don't think I'd be able to relax and enjoy the day, while worrying about missing the ferry back to the ship, and being delayed an hour, running the risk of missing the ship.

 

The cost of the Carnival tours to St John is very reasonable, considering the peace of mind they provide in addition to providing access to a gorgeous island.

[ScottsSweetie]

I would agree with the case by case basis. DH and I take mostly independent tours.

 

Last year, when cruising with his parents, his mom wanted to snorkel. We chose a Carnival excursion in Jamaica (Falmouth) because they used a boat that had the steps that go down into the ocean, which made it much easier for his mom to get back into the boat. None of the independent tours that I looked at had that (they all had a ladder).

[HollandAvery]

We are doing the Carnival Turtle Cove and Cavern Snorkel on our November cruise because of our friends that raved about it. The reviews on the site are fantastic as well.

 

I'll be doing a review on it when we get back from our cruise, but with such high praise from our friends and other travelers, we are expecting to have a fantastic time.

 

I'd say that excursion would be a good bet. But I'll let you know in early December when we get back about our personal experience :p

[NPCIN]

As some have mentioned...I've been on some tours with people from the ship that booked it on their own but paid 1/3 less than what the cruise line was charging. I've always heard the cruise line gets a cut of the price. I just found this out for a fact yesterday.
I'm getting ready for an upcoming cruise with Carnival. I want to go horseback riding and found the excursion I'd like to do that's $109 per person. I found out who the independent is who runs the tour and tried to book direct with them as their rate is $55 per person for the same tour. I was told that they have a contract with Carnival and part of that contract is they can't sell tours to anyone not buying the excursion through Carnival while the ship is in port for the day and if I wanted to go I'd have to pay the $109 rate. They said if a Carnival ship wasn't in port...I could do the excursion for $55.

[Towel Critter]

One can't just sweep aside the huge value of not having to worry about missing the ship. That is something none of the local tour operators can offer. Yes, I've booked local tours, but early in the day. Even a two hour window for unforeseen delays is too narrow for me. The local tours are sometimes a little cheaper, but not worth the risk unless you have a several hour margin for error. Stuff does happen and will happen sooner or later.

[coevan]

OMG, CCL scares you into this fallacy, YOU WILL NOT MISS THE SHIP, they are the same tour operators. There is only one ferry from Red Hook to St.John, runs every hour. If you book a tour you will probably have Princess and RCL guests on the same tour, because, as stated, they can not take guest that are from the ship they are contracted to. None of these tours would be in business without cruise ships. I am not stating an opinion but a fact, as I said earlier my son is a Captain in St.Thomas. Fact, my son had 60 people in White Bay, Jost Van Dyke. They lost power leaving with guests from RCL, Princess, and Carnival. The company called all three cruise line, although panic ensued from a few arrogant guests, they were assured the ships will wait. Many punished the Captain and crew and did not tip, which is where they make a percentage of their pay. Rant over

[JennN]

[quote name='cassidyb']La casa en la playa-Cozumel.. Awesome excursion.. Well worth the price..[/QUOTE]

I concur! We've done it three times now and the service is second to NONE! Unlimited drinks and great food on top of a "private" (no more than 30 people I think) beach? What's not to love!?!?

[Towel Critter]

[quote name='coevan']OMG, CCL scares you into this fallacy, YOU WILL NOT MISS THE SHIP, they are the same tour operators. There is only one ferry from Red Hook to St.John, runs every hour. If you book a tour you will probably have Princess and RCL guests on the same tour, because, as stated, they can not take guest that are from the ship they are contracted to. None of these tours would be in business without cruise ships. I am not stating an opinion but a fact, as I said earlier my son is a Captain in St.Thomas. Fact, my son had 60 people in White Bay, Jost Van Dyke. They lost power leaving with guests from RCL, Princess, and Carnival. The company called all three cruise line, although panic ensued from a few arrogant guests, they were assured the ships will wait. Many punished the Captain and crew and did not tip, which is where they make a percentage of their pay. Rant over[/QUOTE]

I realize Carnival uses the same tour operators. I do. The difference is, if it's a tour purchased through Carnival, the ship WILL wait if there has been a delay in getting back. They are obligated to do so. Book with one of the same operators, but not through Carnival, and the ship may NOT wait. Simple as that. Sure, the captain may wait if the delay involves a large number of people. But he is not obligated to do so. Can you show me in a contract where the ship is obligated to wait in a situation where a tour, purchased locally, has encountered a long delay? Show me that and I'll gladly say I was wrong.

[Out of Iowa]

I chose the Carnival beach visit to Starfish Island while the rest of the cabin went private excursion to cave tube...tendered directly from the ship to Starfish Island, had a very enjoyable time, amenities were good and the island/nature/scenery was top-notch.

I just wish the length of time on the island had been longer!