Excursions - RCI or local operators?

[El Abuelo]

RCI just cancelled our upcoming (2/25) Chacchoben tour. No stated reason why, probably something to do with the recent bus accident.

 

I have seen lots of thread discussions in the "ports" forums about local tours. The options are excellent - more variety & better pricing, some of the operators have excellent reputations, and posters there generally seem to favor local operators vs RCI. Not a surprise in that forum, though.

 

RCI does a good job creating fear of potential consequences of non-RCI excursions. The ship will leave us behind! My question is, do others feel this is a legitimate concern, or is it overblown and mostly a marketing trick to justify their cut of a higher price? Do most people here book excursions through RCI, or do they use local operators / agencies?

[dwayneb236]

My opinion is these independent companies rely on cruisers to survive. Why would they do anything to push people away. They will do their best to get you back when you need to be. I've only done one ship excursion. The rest have always been on my own. Never a problem. I do go with established businesses though. Google is my friend.

[BLAMBKY]

My experience- I have used private operators & not had a problem, actually had spectacular tours. Then all of a sudden Royal started using tickets for disembarking on tender ports. I had to scramble to get one of the first available to make my meeting time. It was enough to tip the scale for me to using Royal. IF I wanted to use private operator again it would have to be minimal driving time from the ship and not a tender port.

[handbellplayer]

RCI just cancelled our upcoming (2/25) Chacchoben tour. No stated reason why, probably something to do with the recent bus accident.

 

I have seen lots of thread discussions in the "ports" forums about local tours. The options are excellent - more variety & better pricing, some of the operators have excellent reputations, and posters there generally seem to favor local operators vs RCI. Not a surprise in that forum, though.

 

RCI does a good job creating fear of potential consequences of non-RCI excursions. The ship will leave us behind! My question is, do others feel this is a legitimate concern, or is it overblown and mostly a marketing trick to justify their cut of a higher price? Do most people here book excursions through RCI, or do they use local operators / agencies?

 

We always take private excursions. They are a much better value. Just make sure you read the reviews on TripAdvisor to ensure that the operators have a good reputation and you'll be fine. As the other poster said, these folks make their living off of cruise ship passengers and they're not going to chance losing that business.

[karena1]

We don't do a lot of excursions, but when we do, we do the private ones. Do your research, read the boards. There are a ton of really great private excursions that will totally get you back to the ship on time!

[cruiser123!]

Agreed w the above sentiments about the independents getting you back on time because they need to for their livelihood. For our upcoming cruise I only booked one of six thru Royal...and only that one because it wasn’t offered elsewhere. Have fun!

[Norwich Cruiser]

We use private tour companies and been very pleased.

Always do our homework first these boards are a great source of excellent information.

[crookedhalo]

We also book our own excursions through local guides - except when the time in port is to tight or the excursion is too tight. In St. Kitts a few years ago, both Royal and a private company were offering the same basic tour. The private operator was about $15 or $20 per person cheaper but both tours were schedule to return just 30 minutes before sail away. Since the tour involved another boat to another location (Neves), I wasn't comfortable with possible problems and so little time to recover, so my group went with Royal for the excursion.

 

As it turned out, the excursion was a hot mess and we actually didn't get back to the ship until 30 minutes after it was supposed to sail. They were actually counting us back in and the last person came aboard on the gangway:eek::eek::D! Now there is no way of knowing if the private operator would have had issues or not, but let me tell you I was very happy to have done a Royal excursion and see that boat waiting for us :)

[squadron]

My experience- I have used private operators & not had a problem, actually had spectacular tours. Then all of a sudden Royal started using tickets for disembarking on tender ports. I had to scramble to get one of the first available to make my meeting time. It was enough to tip the scale for me to using Royal. IF I wanted to use private operator again it would have to be minimal driving time from the ship and not a tender port.

 

Tender tickets for the early trips off have been necessary for years.

[nashirak]

We tend to use RCI for tender ports just for the priority debarkation and guaranteed returns (my wife tends to be a bit of a worrier, so it gives her piece of mind). Otherwise we’ll find a well-reviewed, less expensive independent for all other ports.

 

 

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[dd likes to cruise]

We tend to use RCI for tender ports just for the priority debarkation and guaranteed returns (my wife tends to be a bit of a worrier, so it gives her piece of mind). Otherwise we’ll find a well-reviewed, less expensive independent for all other ports. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I have never been at a tender port. How do you know that ahead of time?

[Clarea]

I have never been at a tender port. How do you know that ahead of time?

Look at the published itinerary, for each port it will say tendered or docked.

[not-enough-cruising]

We always book independent, and have never had any problems. You have to be aware of the ship schedule as well as your tour schedule, but independent operators would be out of business if they did not get you back to the ship successfully.

Check out Viator, it has served me VERY well and saved a lot of money over the years.

 

 

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[El Abuelo]

Thanks for the helpful feedback, especially the tip about tender ports. We'll stick with RCI to get out of the port in Cozumel but use Native Tours in Costa Maya.

[dcgrumpy]

I always book private excursions. Coincidentally I just booked Chacchoben through Native Choice about an hour ago.

[Bizzie07]

We always do RCI excursions, more expensive but it keeps my stress levels down.

[papaflamingo]

I do both. Depends on the port and how long the ship is in port. I prefer private tours for all the reasons mentioned above. Research the heck out of them though. Some places, no worries. St. Petersburg Russia comes to mind. No way the Russians will let you miss your ship since the shore excursion company is responsible for your visa. But some places, not a big deal. But look at where your going. In St. Lucia there was a Cruise Critic review where they used a private company. There is only one road. There was an accident and the road shut down. Luckily there was a ships tour bus right behind the private tour van, so the ship was waiting. Those are the things I look out for. For me, if we are leaving the island in a boat, I'm more comfortable with a ships tour. If it's scheduled to get back within an hour of departure, I'm more comfortable with a ships tour.

I read the Port reviews on CC for recommendations, ask questions, and read Tripadvisor. Can't go wrong if you do that.

[Grandma Dazzles]

I think it's smart to research ahead of time so you are aware of any possible problems. In Cozumel, for example, the Tulum ruins tour involves the local ferry and a long bus ride. I have seen that tour be late many times, and RC has waited for their excursion customers.

[cb at sea]

We almost never use ANY excursion. We research our ports and in almost EVERY case, can do what interests us on our own. A guidebook is VERY useful to determine what's available and how to do it.

 

Now, if you want to do something that is a great distance from the ship, or requires multiple modes of transportation, a ship's excursion is the way to go...it's fool-proof. That said, if you're really stuck out there, the ship may not wait...but RCI will pay to get you either to the next port or home, whichever is cheaper.

[CruisingNole]

Private - always. Cheaper, better and money goes straight to local economy. Use trip advisor for detailed reviews and you can't go wrong.

[Clarea]

Private - always. Cheaper, better and money goes straight to local economy. Use trip advisor for detailed reviews and you can't go wrong.

Less crowded too.:)

[BigHouseFootball]

We do both. We like the guarantee of the ship waiting for us if we go through RC. And I have found nd the furst Times me I visit a port I tend to lean heavily on the ship tour to get a feel for the area then I can judge if I’d do something on my own the next time.

[CruisingNole]

We do both. We like the guarantee of the ship waiting for us if we go through RC. And I have found nd the furst Times me I visit a port I tend to lean heavily on the ship tour to get a feel for the area then I can judge if I’d do something on my own the next time.

 

Hate to break it to ya, but if something happens and you're far from Port, the ships not going to inconvenience the thousands of others passengers onboard by waiting for you for several hours. Maybe they'll help you out with securing transportation to to the next port, but the fallout from your small groups anger vs 5,000 people waiting on a ship makes it a no brainer as to what their priority is. Not to mention that time is money and veering too far off course could cause the cruiseline big bucks.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Hate to break it to ya, but if something happens and you're far from Port, the ships not going to inconvenience the thousands of others passengers onboard by waiting for you for several hours. Maybe they'll help you out with securing transportation to to the next port, but the fallout from your small groups anger vs 5,000 people waiting on a ship makes it a no brainer as to what their priority is. Not to mention that time is money and veering too far off course could cause the cruiseline big bucks.

 

I posted earlier regarding the Cozumel Tulum excursion. The ferry crossing is often very rough and the ferry is notoriously late. They waited about half an hour for our excursion. On a different cruise I encouraged a friend to go, but decided to stay on the ship, as I had already done.

 

Her trip was almost an hour late, due to ferry. All RC tour passengers were allowed off the ferry first. They were escorted very quickly as a group to the ship. Saw an RC employee with a clipboard and list getting them on board. My friend said they scanned their cards, but used the list to get them on board. Gangplank was up and we were pulling away. Several passengers who had done the cruise independently were left. I was sitting by the window in the DL watching all of this. People were running down pier, but we were on our way.

 

Doesn't happen often, but a long excursion that involves more than one method of transportation is best booked through ship; unless you build in a couple of hours as a cushion.

[JoyMouse]

Thanks for the helpful feedback, especially the tip about tender ports. We'll stick with RCI to get out of the port in Cozumel but use Native Tours in Costa Maya.

 

 

 

I used Native Choice in December and really liked them. My only tip would be to rely on their map more than the written instructions to find them.

 

 

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