Excursion companies (or provide thread link please)

[Malemew]

Wow, who ever thought a forum could be so popular and extensive.

 

So please accept my apologies if this has already been discussed before.

 

I was just wondering if anyone could give me some names of some good direct shore excursion companies, or even provide the links to the threads where I may find these.

 

Ive seen some companies on line, but without reviews etc, so its nice to get actual feedback from a lot of you guys who definitely know what your talking about.

 

If anyone had read any of my posts before you may know we are first time cruisers and as with any of our travels, we like to make sure some of our spends goes to helping local businesses and not just the tour operators.

 

We will be going to (in january)

 

St Thomas - US VI

Tortola

Nassau

 

Roatan

Harvest Caye

Cozumel

Costa Maya

 

Thanks in advance

[John Bull]

Your best bet is to head over to the appropriate Ports of Call forums

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=587

Browse those threads, and ask on there if you can't find useful contacts.

 

It would also be useful to join the RollCall for your specific cruise.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=34

(if you can't find it, come back here & post your ship and sailing date, and some kind soul will post a link)

A major function of a RollCall is for folk to get together to share independent tours which significantly reduces the cost, though you may be a little late for your January cruise.

 

You can google for independent reviews of the operators that you've already found - but best avoid reviews on their own websites. And take both exceptionally good or exceptionally bad reviews with a pinch of salt - it needs a few dozen reviews (and preferably hundreds) to get an overall impression and see any common flaws.

 

Be aware that for a number of reasons, mainly the weather & sea conditions, ships don't always stick to their published itineraries. I guess on average about one port in 20 (????) is missed, and some ports are more reliable than others. So check the tour operators' terms to see if you get a full refund (or often a refund minus an admin charge) if your ship doesn't make port.

 

Harvest Caye is a new destination, opened this year, built by Norwegian. If it's like other cruise lines' private islands it'll be as beach day, with all facilities on-site.

 

You don't actually need excursions at the other ports, especially if you want a beach day or a road tour, because there will be taxis & minibuses lined up at the pier & it's pretty easy to do your own thing at low cost. For a road tour, take your beach gear - at the end of the tour the driver will probably give you the choice of dropping you back at the ship or at shops or a beach near the ship.

But I draw the line at DIY for long distances, and especially if it involves using ferries, because there's no "Plan B" if there's a problem. So if for example you want to visit Virgin Gorda from Tortola, or the mainland from Cozumel, I'd recommend a ship-sponsored excursion - the guarantee that the ship will wait if your ship-sponsored excursion is late back is grossly over-played by cruise lines, but in those circumstances it's the sensible option.

 

JB :)

[watchdiva]

St. Thomas....sailing charter on High Pockets with Captain Kathleen (max 6 people)

 

Roatan....catamaran trip with SV Free Radical or Raya Aguila

 

Costa Maya....Maya Chan

 

Highly recommend these!! Not sure what your budget is but remember at the end of the day you get what you pay for and all of these are outstanding excursions!

 

 

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[m1k2s3]

Try http://www.viator.com - they use local tour operators. We used them for our tour in Roatan.

 

In Costa Maya, we used http://www.thenativechoice.com - they were excellent.

 

Also, check tripadvisor. Their website has good information on tour operators and reviews.

 

 

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[donaldsc]

heck on the Port of Call boards or on Trip Adviser.

 

DON

[sanger727]

We do a combination of using third party retailers and companies that provide tours directly.

 

Have had some good tours through

http://caribbeanshoretours.com/IslandMarketing.html

 

At st Thomas we took a catamaran to St. John for snorkeling.

 

We are doing Tortola on our own in our cruise in a few weeks. Taking the ferry to Virgin Gorda to see the baths.

 

Nassau is my least favorite port, would either organize an excursion or stay on the ship.

 

We did a private island tour from a local operator in Roatan, didn't particularly like it.

 

Harvest caye is a beach area portion off by NCL. They offer a few other excursions but don't know that anything independent operates there. Be clear that harvest caye does not give you access to Belize like Belize city would, it's an off shore island.

 

In Cozumel we did a snorkeling catamaran tour.

 

Def check our trip advisor and ports of call board for other suggestions

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Also, check out a guidebook from your local library (reference section!)...many, many things are quite easy to do on your own without paying someone to talk you there! A guidebook is useful and can save you a bundle!

[cruzeluver]

The problem with guidebooks from libraries is that they become outdated very quickly.

[Pudgesmom]

The problem with guidebooks from libraries is that they become outdated very quickly.

 

Totally agree with you. Online information is much more current. But this poster writes that on every thread.

[FireStation46]

I am giving Viator.com a booking this year. Seems pretty consistent positive reviews. I dislike my past experiences with land tour providers booked thru RCL so I hope independent tour operators will be a better option