Carnival excursions vs going it alone.

[GOLDENBONNY]

You'll hear stories like yours all the time because the ship excursions know that they can be late.

 

You are beginning to sound like you work for the cruise line excursions desk. :D

 

Next you're going to tell us what a great value those art auctions are :eek::eek::eek:

 

AGAIN... I am waiting for anyone to post links to legitimate cases of people missing the ship in port because they went on a private excursion with a known operator.

 

And you are sound like Jamaican tour operator. :cool: People don't fill comfortable to go private tours in Jamaica they have all rights not to.

[nealstuber]

Yes, looks like they've changed the name since we were last there...

[ryano]

Victor Bodden is one of the best of the best in the entire Caribbean! You have no reason to worry at all. They do have group tours & private tours. I don't know which one you booked, but private tours are only slightly more expensive, & you get to choose what you want to do & what you want to skip, as you have your own driver for the day. And you can head back to the ship early if you wish. We ended ours a little bit early, as we got to do all that we wanted, & then some. And in the highly unlikely event of a car breakdown, Victor has plenty of other drivers that will be ready to go pick you up wherever you're at, and you'll be fine. It's not a huge island.

 

I booked the "Best of Roatan" tour that is customizable. We dont really know where to go or what to do and was hoping our guide would have some good suggestions. My nephew definitely wants to see the monkeys and parrots etc.. My mom and I would be interested in sightseeing, maybe a little shopping and grabbing some lunch somewhere.

 

Thank you all for the reassurance :) We are really looking forward to it.

Edited April 14, 2016 by ryano

[summersigh]

And you are sound like Jamaican tour operator. :cool: People don't fill comfortable to go private tours in Jamaica they have all rights not to.

 

Thank you :-)

 

I think cruzelover55 and I tried to be clear that we were older and a bit more careful than we were at younger ages. Running for the ship just isn't an option for us and our spouses any more. :cool:

 

I'm glad that there are options available for everyone that desires them whether they be independent tours, self guided touring or ship excursions.

 

With DH's mobility issues cruising is a perfect fit for us these days. We're not able to do the kind of trips we used to like spending 3 weeks using train passes to independently tour in England, Scotland, Amsterdam and Paris. With cruising DH can do as much or as little as he feels up to and we have a good time.

[NightOne]

And you are sound like Jamaican tour operator. :cool: People don't fill comfortable to go private tours in Jamaica they have all rights not to.

 

Of course they do.

 

BUT ...

 

Don't spread false information about something just because you don't feel comfortable with something. :)

[loxley]

A couple of pages back I responded to a post saying I had read reviews about people being left. If you remember, I was challenged to "prove it". I did not dignify it with an answer. How do I know how truthful every post is? Anyway, we have taken the same excursion you just spoke of with the same results. Maybe we were part of your group or maybe it happens frequently? Tour was awesome though. We follow the same rule of thumb as you guys. I wasn't picking on Jamaica when I said I would not do a private tour. I just don't feel comfortable, since we dock in Montego Bay, everything is just too far away. When I was more agile, we did the zipline, through Carnival. Loved it and glad we did it as I doubt I could climb that hill nowadays.:(:)

 

Caymans, we went, years ago, to a stingray and beach excursion. Stingray part was great, but the pitiful beach they took us to, I could have done without. I feel more comfortable taking a cab while there, nowadays, as many options are fairly close and taxis plentiful. 9/16 will be our 3rd time with the Jamaica, Grand Cayman and of course Cozumel ports. May not even leave the ship at some. We really cruise for the ship experience, not the ports, as "been there, done that". But, from this thread some people have given out dotcom's of excursions outside the Carnival box, and we are considering some of them.

 

And, as far as that person not believing people get left, when arriving late. There was another thread couple of days ago, that had a youtube link. It was very entertaining. If you have the time or interest, I'm sure it can be googled. Though I felt sorry for the ones that either got left or were allowed aboard through unconventional methods, the videos showing this were funny. But, was probably a big hoax:D Happy Cruising!! If you happen to be on a cruise we are on, you can't miss me. I'll be the woman hop, skipping along with a cane. It actually comes in handy for many things. While taking walks, to fend off stray dogs, or rapping someone sharply on the knuckles, as they are attempting to take something from me. Cane-foo fighting!

 

I think they wanted you to provide proof of all these reviews where people missed the boat due to a private excursion, no price they DID miss the ship.

 

I am not surprised you did not provide anything.

[NightOne]

We only do our own tours, we do a private excursion in every port and have never ever even came close to missing the ship.

 

We went to Jamaica twice and used Marva Shaw. They will customize your tours. Highly recommended on trip advisor as well.

 

I use her son Javia (same company) and also recommend them.

[GOLDENBONNY]

Thank you :-)

 

I think cruzelover55 and I tried to be clear that we were older and a bit more careful than we were at younger ages. Running for the ship just isn't an option for us and our spouses any more. :cool:

 

I'm glad that there are options available for everyone that desires them whether they be independent tours, self guided touring or ship excursions.

 

With DH's mobility issues cruising is a perfect fit for us these days. We're not able to do the kind of trips we used to like spending 3 weeks using train passes to independently tour in England, Scotland, Amsterdam and Paris. With cruising DH can do as much or as little as he feels up to and we have a good time.

 

Running for the ship its not my worst fear on Jamaica. :cool: and Dominican Republic and Belize. :rolleyes::rolleyes: we saw it once, we had enough )))now we just enjoy our day on empty ship.

[NightOne]

A couple of pages back I responded to a post saying I had read reviews about people being left. If you remember, I was challenged to "prove it".

 

Which you still haven't done...and will not do...because it basically doesn't happen or is so rare that you could never have seen "many" of these reports.

 

Just admit it: You were a little overzealous about the topic, posted inaccurate information to support your case, and got called out on it. It happens. No worries. :)

 

 

I did not dignify it with an answer.

 

Yeah, that is what the politicians say when they are questioned about some scandal then 3 months later they finally admit it after they learn they aren't going to be able to make it go away.

 

How do I know how truthful every post is?

 

So you don't know if something is true but have no problem stating it like it is a fact ???

 

That is the real problem I had with your post. :)

 

And, as far as that person not believing people get left, when arriving late. There was another thread couple of days ago, that had a youtube link. It was very entertaining. If you have the time or interest, I'm sure it can be googled. Though I felt sorry for the ones that either got left or were allowed aboard through unconventional methods, the videos showing this were funny. But, was probably a big hoax:D Happy Cruising!!

 

Yes, I have seen pier runner videos. Pretty much all of those people fall into 2 categories:

 

1. Drunks - Some literally spent all their entire time in port at Senor Frogs/Margaritaville/Etc. less than a block from port but still miss the ship

 

2. People who randomly went off on their own via walking, taxis, etc. without a tour guide and lost track of time, had their watch set different than ship time, etc.

 

Not a single one I have ever seen or heard about was from someone who used a private tour operator.

[lazyart]

Local tour guides know what they are doing and know they gotta get you back in time. I've yet to do a Carnival excursion. Visited the ruins in Costa Maya, zip lining and cave tubing in Belize, beach in Nassau, taxi tour & dolphin swim in Grand Cayman (separate visits), Nachi Cocum & scooter rentals in Cozumel (separate visits), White River & Blue Hole in Jamaica.

You get to your destination quicker and have a longer and more enjoyable adventure. Yep, you often see your cruise mates doing the ship excursion. I recall specifically in Belize that the Carnival people got out of the water during the cave tubing about two-thirds of the way while we continued on.

Edited April 14, 2016 by lazyart

[Foxinspace]

Of the 8 Excursions we have done all but 1 was through an independent company. I look at what Carnival offers and than compare to see what I can find locally. We've always gotten back with time to spare. If you want to know about the company you are booking with Google them and no doubt you will see them pop up on review sites like TripAdvisor. If you don't I'd book with caution.

 

We like to book with small local companies and put our money into their hands, rather than filter their salary through Carnival. Just a preference.

 

If you've only ever done Carnival excursions, I'd say get your feet wet. Check out the forums for your destination and see what people are recommending and do some research to check out their reviews.

 

Either way, enjoy the cruise!!

[Micahs Grandad]

Of the 8 Excursions we have done all but 1 was through an independent company. I look at what Carnival offers and than compare to see what I can find locally. We've always gotten back with time to spare. If you want to know about the company you are booking with Google them and no doubt you will see them pop up on review sites like TripAdvisor. If you don't I'd book with caution.

 

We like to book with small local companies and put our money into their hands, rather than filter their salary through Carnival. Just a preference.

 

If you've only ever done Carnival excursions, I'd say get your feet wet. Check out the forums for your destination and see what people are recommending and do some research to check out their reviews.

 

Either way, enjoy the cruise!!

 

Good advise, all cruise lines use scare tactics to help sell their tours.

[poz222]

Good advise' date=' all cruise lines use scare tactics to help sell their tours.[/quote']

 

It is the security that they sell, you pay more for the perceived security (and the vetting of the tours) in booking with the cruise lines. And for many, this security is worth every penny and allows them to relax and enjoy their excursion more... Neither is wrong or right, just differences in travel styles and comfort levels.

[cynalan]

A couple of pages back I responded to a post saying I had read reviews about people being left. If you remember, I was challenged to "prove it". I did not dignify it with an answer. How do I know how truthful every post is?

 

Hmm, having reviewed a few of your posts, you seem to like making unsupported comments and passing on rumours as fact. When asked to substantiate or a least validate your comments you run and hide.

[cruzelover55]

Hmm, having reviewed a few of your posts, you seem to like making unsupported comments and passing on rumours as fact. When asked to substantiate or a least validate your comments you run and hide.

 

I learned a lesson from this particular thread, to say I saw, rather than I know, as someone nitpicked my comment and asked me to prove it. I did not run and hide, just figured if it was that important to the poster, they could look it up. You however, are starting to scare me. Stalking is not allowed here and you need to stop. The issue we had on the thread that caused you to look up all my posts, and then jump in as you have now, had others that agreed with me. No rumors, just observations from several of us, which did validate the comment. Are you stalking them too?

[minerva78]

On our first four cruises, we only did excursions through private companies. And a couple of times we didn't decide on an excursion until we were in port and went on a tour with someone trying to fill a van for a tour. Those worked great and we always got back in plenty of time. The furthest away we went was to see ruins in Belize, I think it was about a 50 - 60 minute drive one way, still got back in plenty of time.

 

Now these were cruises where just DH and I went. When we took our last cruise, with our then 5 and 6 year old girls, we did our first Carnival excursion to the Turtle Farm in Grand Cayman. With our girls I felt safer doing the Carnival excursion, and it helped that it was about the same cost as a private excursion. Now we did go on our own on the trolley in Key West (but come on, it's Key West, it's not big enough for you to be too far away to miss the boat) and went on our own to Playa Mia in Cozumel, but we made sure to leave about 2 hours before sail away. For upcoming trips with the girls, I'll probably be more likely to do a few Carnival excursions. Like going to the zoo in Belize, I'd feel more comfortable going on a Carnival excursion while we'll likely go out on our own in Cozumel.

 

I think it depends on a lot of factors, and you just have to decide what your comfort level is. Honestly, I can't even say I've read of someone missing the ship because of a private excursion. I have heard of a private van breaking down and the company sending a replacement van out to still get the cruisers back to the ship in plenty of time. These tour companies rely on recommendations from cruisers, and you best believe they know if for some reason they had people miss the ship on their tour, it would be all over the Internet and their business would suffer. They don't want to take that chance.

[CarolR]

Just back from the Carnival Journeys cruise in Hawaii. Booked a full day tour of Kauai through Carnival. At 4:00 pm on our way back to the ship our van blew a tire and had to pull over. Took 25 minutes to get that shredded tire off and changed with help from my husband and others in the van. Made it back to the ship at 5 which was sail time to officers on the pier and people cheering from their balconies. After this experience, I would never book a full day tour with an independent company. Would rather pay a few extra dollars and know the ship will wait for me.

[NightOne]

AND AGAIN... I am still waiting for anyone to post links to legitimate cases of people missing the ship in port because they went on a private excursion with a known operator.

 

In the meantime we continue to hear:

 

[Smart Arsenal Fan]

AND AGAIN... I am still waiting for anyone to post links to legitimate cases of people missing the ship in port because they went on a private excursion with a known operator.

 

 

Ok, challenge accepted.

 

Read April 3rd blog entry

 

http://www.whenshiphappens.com/

 

Not quite missed, but only due to the family scrambling...zero thanks to the Operator.

 

Please read and get back with your thoughts.

 

 

(an awesome blog, btw.)

[linbobky]

john heald reported yesterday that the vista left 2 women in one of the ports because they missed a train somewhere. the women had to catch up the next day and wanted their money back for hotel and train to catch up with the ship!

 

so I guess it does happen!:)

[Je Souhaite]

A few friends in our group are thinking of saving some money by trying to do dunns river falls in Ochoa rios on their own. Does anyone know the cost of the falls. And what taxi rides would be to and from the falls from the dock?

 

Also. Are their any benefits or hazards to this

 

Its always cheaper when you do It on your own, In most cases. The more complex the tour though, the less the savings, although time is always a savings.

 

Try it where you feel comfortable, and don't where you don't. First time to Jamaica we did a tour. SecOnd time we just hired a cab. At the time we knew to hire one within the gate and to make sure it was a red license plate cab.

[Micahs Grandad]

john heald reported yesterday that the vista left 2 women in one of the ports because they missed a train somewhere. the women had to catch up the next day and wanted their money back for hotel and train to catch up with the ship!

 

so I guess it does happen!:)

 

When you go on your own it is your responsibility to watch the time and make sure you make your connections.

[minerva78]

When you go on your own it is your responsibility to watch the time and make sure you make your connections.

 

I agree. That doesn't sound like a private company dropping the ball, it sounds like two people going out and exploring on their own and not keeping track of time. Probably exploring on their own way too far from port. The example from the blog is closer to the tour company dropping the ball, but they still didn't miss sail away. I still think the point is it's extremely rare a tour company won't get you back in time, but always be wary of booking a private tour that takes up almost all of your time in port, because that increases the likelihood that you might be cutting it too close to get back in time.

Edited May 18, 2016 by minerva78

[Cocochanel26]

My husband and I took a taxi van that was waiting right outside of the port. They took us to rent water shoes and then took us to Dunn's River falls. Afterwards the took us in a mini tour around Jamaica, then to a restaurant to eat and let us do shopping. I think it was like $50-75. I can't remember. Was a small fraction of what it cost on the ship. I was pleased with how professional and organized they were about it

Edited May 18, 2016 by Cocochanel26

[NightOne]

AND AGAIN... I am still waiting for anyone to post links to legitimate cases of people missing the ship in port because they went on a private excursion with a known operator.

 

 

Ok, challenge accepted.

 

Read April 3rd blog entry

 

http://www.whenshiphappens.com/

 

Not quite missed, but only due to the family scrambling...zero thanks to the Operator.

 

Please read and get back with your thoughts.

 

 

(an awesome blog, btw.)

 

So cavetubing.bz which is frequently well reviewed here got them back to the port and they did NOT miss the ship.

 

Bottom line is that this is not an example of a private tour operator that ran a tour where the people missed the ship.