Royal excursion or private?

[*Fudge*]

I'm contemplating an excursion in Cozumel and have seen an ok one in cruise planner. I have also seen some decent private ones. I have asked a question on ports of call but not had much luck there. I just wondered if anyone had used a private tour company in Cozumel or elsewhere really?

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

[Peggy13]

We haven't been on a cruise in years, but we are going back on in August. Yeah. We like to book excursions other than RCL just by doing some research. Last time we were in Cozumel, we did a day pass for all of us at the resort "Nachi Cocum". It was the best relaxing day. We practically had the entire resort to ourselves. Now this was a few years ago, so now sure how it is today. Good luck.

[BOLTFISH]

I'll 2nd Nachi Cocum! It was busy (according to the staff), but we didn't notice! Top notch beach/staff/service and food. Great tacos (taquitos).

 

 

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[Clarea]

We haven't been on a cruise in years, but we are going back on in August. Yeah. We like to book excursions other than RCL just by doing some research. Last time we were in Cozumel, we did a day pass for all of us at the resort "Nachi Cocum". It was the best relaxing day. We practically had the entire resort to ourselves. Now this was a few years ago, so now sure how it is today. Good luck.

Nachi is still an excellent all-inclusive beach day.

[*Fudge*]

Thank you. I was looking at a snorkelling trip also. I sometimes worry about using excursion companies other than Royal, mainly so as not to miss the ship but one or two look ok

[knittinggirl]

After 200+ sea days, we prefer to book w/ the cruise line. While we have booked private, few companies meet our rigid requirements.

 

After you board the ship, it becomes difficult to cancel the excursion from the ship. You have roaming fees, and internet is undependable. On our last cruise on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas, their VOOM service was down until day 5.

 

On the ship, you still have a 24 hour deadline to cancel. On Royal Caribbean, we've been known to get refunded w/in that 24 hour frame if they have a waiting list, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

Be careful noting the number of stops. On a recent cruise with several stops in a 7 hour excursion, we got behind on stop one, and they cut stop 2 short to make up the time. Stop 2 was why I booked that excursion. Some stops are so tight, I actually was told by shore excursion deck, that I had a choice of using the restroom or seeing the sight.

 

Well, with that attitude, I might as well stay on the ship.

 

Princess's shore excursion time outline is an excellent place to study the time line for your excursion. They tell you how many steps, yards of walking, time at each stop, time on the bus, shopping, photos, restrooms, etc.

[easyboy]

Aside from Nachi Cocum, you can also check out Mr. Sancho's.

 

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[Norwich Cruiser]

Nachi Cocum,Mr. Sancho's or Paradise Beach all are very good and don't cost a fortune plus an easy taxi ride.

[matj2000]

Nachi has got to be the most boring place in Cozumel.

If you go anywhere, try Sanchos or Paradise Beach instead.

Basically identical places but with much more people and action going on.

[GTO-Girl]

We go to Nachi so we can "chillax". It is the perfect place for us.

 

 

I agree Mr. Sanchos is more lively and more crowded, which is why it does appeal to the younger crowd or families with children.

 

 

😁😁😁😁

[subtchr]

We book non-cruiseline excursions and tours almost exclusively. Yes, it saves money often, but much more important to us is that they are typically much smaller groups, and a more personalized experience.

 

We exercise our due diligence (well, I do...hubby just trusts me!), by only using tour companies with favorable reviews on CC, TripAdvisor, and other sites, as well as policies we agree with pertaining to cancellation, refunds if applicable, etc.

 

In this day and age, if a tour company causes guests to miss a ship's departure, that one review on an online site would pretty much guarantee the end of that business. We don't cruise as much as many here, but we have never had an issue and don't anticipate one with the excursions we book.

[Nana57]

Can we just walk the beach and decide where we want to sit without a reservation?

 

 

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[Clarea]

Can we just walk the beach and decide where we want to sit without a reservation?

Nachi and Mr. Sanchos are private resorts and about a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the port. There is a public beach within walking distance of the port, but it's not a resort area.

[cb at sea]

Depending on what you want to do and see will determine if you need an excursion at all! Ship's excursions are fine, especially, if you're going long distances from the ship, or haven't done your "homework" and researched your port, or simply want to. Private excursions can be less crowded, and their livelihood depends on getting you back on time.

We seldom do either....we read a guidebook, and figure out what interests us, and do it on our own. Much cheaper, on our own timetable, and we have fun! The more you know about the places you visit, the more you get out of it.

[tennislvr8]

We have done both private and ship excursions. Never had a problem with either. However, after being an hour late returning on a ship excursion and not getting left makes us lean towards ship excursions. It was in Panama and traffic was outrageous. Even with our late return some folks got left.

 

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[Merion_Mom]

I'm contemplating an excursion in Cozumel and have seen an ok one in cruise planner. I have also seen some decent private ones. I have asked a question on ports of call but not had much luck there. I just wondered if anyone had used a private tour company in Cozumel or elsewhere really?

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

 

Fudge, of all the cruise ports in the Caribbean, Cozumel is one of the easiest and best to use private operators.

 

No matter what you want to do, there are highly experienced companies who know that they would quickly go out of business if they ever failed to return cruise ship passengers to their ships on time.

 

Use tripadvisor to find a good snorkeling tour. If you just want to snorkel from shore, you can go to a beach resort.

 

Years ago, we used Eagle Ray Divers, when my daughter wanted to dive, I wanted to snorkel and my son wanted to sprawl out on the boat.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g150809-d296492-Reviews-Eagle_Ray_Divers-Cozumel_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

 

http://www.eagleraydivers.com/snorkel-trips/

[gregokeys]

Thank you. I was looking at a snorkelling trip also. I sometimes worry about using excursion companies other than Royal, mainly so as not to miss the ship but one or two look ok

 

 

 

This is our first time cruising and I was worried about that as well but am trying an on my own excursion. [emoji12]We are using chala-michal snorkeling. Great reviews on Facebook and Trip advisor. Seems to be a smaller boat but that means less people.

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

This is our first time cruising and I was worried about that as well but am trying an on my own excursion. [emoji12]We are using chala-michal snorkeling. Great reviews on Facebook and Trip advisor. Seems to be a smaller boat but that means less people.

 

 

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Wow. Their reviews are outstanding.

 

Hey, Fudge, do this one! Contact this company! :D

[gregokeys]

Fudge when are you cruising? We leave the 25th! I can let you know about our experience with them.

[*Fudge*]

Thanks everyone for your replies, I think we will give it a go and do a private excursion. If we were to go a long distance then I think we would do an excursion with Royal.

 

Gregokeys, we are only sailing in Sept so anything you can tell us would be great. 🙂

 

 

Merion_Mom, thank you for the recommendations, I will take a look 🙂

[Rogueperson]

I generally go private because it can be as much as 40% less than Royal Caribbean, but here is my criteria.

 

How long is the stay at port, if its a long stay, I will go private and make sure to factor in serious travel time. If its a shorter stay and the time constraint is high (like a 4 hour excursion on a 6 or 7 hour stay), I would stay with Royal Caribbean for best bang for time. However, if time is flexible, go independent. You will have more options and save some money at the same time.

 

Is there a logistical issue. Cozumel is a great example. If you want to visit Playa del Carmen go with Royal Caribbean, that ferry could make or break your trip, and Royal Caribbean's excursions include priority boarding for the ferry.

[BillOh]

After 200+ sea days, we prefer to book w/ the cruise line. While we have booked private, few companies meet our rigid requirements.

 

 

You'll have to list those requirements. In my experience private excursions seem like a better value with better service. Royal's excursions tend to be concentrating on the bottom line above all else. My top 3 excursions ever were private and my 3 worst were all through Royal.

[bigque]

When we do private excursions, we never do all day where it will push close to getting back to the ship on time. We look for excursions that leave early and get back to the port area in the 1 to 2 o'clock range.

We are also during Nachi on our upcoming Oasis cruise. Someone mentioned boring, then that would be cool with us as we want to get away from the big crowds and just chill out for a few hours! :cool:

[*Fudge*]

we have only done 4 cruises before this one and have almost always done our own thing, jumped on a bus or could walk into the towns etc. The only ship excursion we did was when we went to St Petersburgh, which was our first cruise and it was easier for us to do that then.

 

 

Thanks everyone for your input and opinions. Rogueperson, Good idea on the length of stay in port, thank you 😊

 

 

Bigque, are you going to nachi with Royal or by yourself?

[Clarea]

... Bigque, are you going to nachi with Royal or by yourself?

Royal does not have an excursion to Nachi.