Do you do something at every stop?

[cb at sea]

I would advise doing some research on each port...find out WHAT there is that might interest you, and then you can find out if you need an excursion, or if it's easy to DIY!

Sometimes, we make a day of a port stop, sometimes, we just get off the ship for a bit....rarely do we book any excursion, unless what we want to do is FAR from the ship....most of your stops are quite easy to DIY, but you really do need to know what is in each place!

[razor7_us]

My wife and I have only done 2 excursions in all of our cruises, 1 ship excursion and one local excursion. We do routinely rent the Gold Carts on our Bonaire stops and will continue to do so, but I don’t think I will call that an excursion as it is no different than renting a car or scooter and exploring on your own. We are beach people and, after doing some research, routinely hire a taxi and go to a beach for swimming and snorkeling. We also like to find a good local bar and try the local brew or rum. Have frequented numerous bars on many islands and we now have our favorites that we look forward to visiting at each stop.

[GUT2407]

We haven’t booked an excursion in over 10 years, sometimes just do our own thing, sometimes even stay on the ship and have a day onboard when it’s quiet.

[illiniwahoo]

It really depends on the kind of person you are. We are very active on vacations. We tend to book something in every port. On the rare occasion that we have tried to just get off the ship and decide what to do, we are always disappointed and feel like we wanted the day.

 

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[marktwothousand]

I did my first Caribbean itinerary earlier this year on the Escape and didn't set even set foot on land. It was pure "Bliss"! (womp womp)

 

Don't feel like you have to get off at ports and do things, just because you're there, but sure, if there's specific things you're really into, go for it!

[Cruiser_1977]

Simple answer, no. There are times I haven't gotten off the ship. There have been times I have gotten off, walked around for a bit and headed right back. There are times I've done a private tour. Then there are times I have done excursions through the cruise line. If there are things in a port you feel you just have to do/try, do them. However, don't feel pressured. Enjoy, you're on vacation!!

 

My hubby and I will be going on our first cruise Jan 6th. Getaway western Caribbean. Its our first one...so part of me wants to book an excursion at every stop...but part of me wants to just walk around and see what we see. So far we only have 2 excursions books. A private tour with Ronys to see the sloths and monkeys in roatan and maya chan in Costa maya.

 

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[NancyW12]

Many times, I will get off the ship, go to the local coffee shop and get a cappuccino and free wifi, meander to find some local lunch, and go back to the ship.

[littlelulu01]

Sometimes even the best plans don’t work out. Perhaps a cancelled excursion or port due to weather, a strike that messes up transportation.... I try not to have my heart set too much on specific aspects of my vacation.

 

Even onboard plans can change without notice. Being our first big ship experience and also so much to see in ports, we had a plan to stay onboard and use the spa for our Victoria day on our recent Bliss Alaska sailing. I was so excited to relax the day away. Thermal suite not open for duration of sailing because they were filming a commercial 😢. “Zoolander” as we called him, commandeered the entire thermal suite with his millions of takes for every shot.

[vpearlkc]

Cozumel is a great city to wander around on your own and I'm sure it is on your itinerary. It has the best craft market on your cruise and if you walk a few streets in from the oceanfront you can get a taste of the real Mexico. The mercado municipal is also a great place to visit and has a number of filipino and Indonesian restaurants for the crew members of all the ships in port. There are also plenty of tourist places like Carlos & Charlie's, Margaritaville ect.

 

If Belize City is on your itinerary you can walk around the city as long as you stay on the main streets but it is more dangerous then Cozumel. Unless you are adventurous maybe a tour would be better.

 

BTW Costa Maya is probably the best port to do on you own it's just a cheap cab ride into Mahahual and there are many places along the beach that will set up umbrellas and loungers and serve iced buckets of beer at low prices. Some great seafood also.

[sprint180]

We have so far. At this point Cozumel is the only place we have been to twice. If we ever go back to Jamaica or Cozumel we will stay on the ship though.

[MommyRobin]

We are going on the same cruise in March. We have a Monkey and Sloth sanctuary /beach excursion booked through roatan adventure excursions for Roatan and we will be taking a cab over to paradise beach in cozumel so the kids can enjoy the aqua park. We haven't planned anything for harvest caye or costa maya since they both have beautiful pools so we will hang out there and the beach.

[DMH15]

I used to cruise with my mom. We lost her last year.

 

While in port she found the spa the best place to be. Except for a few ports that interested her.

 

 

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[Newleno]

Some cruises are so cheap you have to take them even though the ports are crummyville. In only 2 places did we book cruise ship sponsored excursions, ( Egypt and Israel, due to safety concerns), other wise we take public transportation to what we want to see, or walk, horrific places like Belize city, roataan, and samana we don't bother getting of the ship.

[OCruisers]

Sometimes, it's nice to not book an excursion and simply walk around in the port or just stay on the ship. :)

[Cali girl]

My last 5 cruises have been European so YES we get off every port for the entire time! I love waking up in a new country every day and exploring and learning. With that being said, it gets tiring so we tend to have less time for ship activities and shows. The main show for us is Europe!

 

 

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[newmexicoNita]

We have so far. At this point Cozumel is the only place we have been to twice. If we ever go back to Jamaica or Cozumel we will stay on the ship though.

Jamaica: I too would stay on the ship. We have done the island about 4 times: do like the beauty of it, but the people are rude, I am not comfortable with being around them and feel safer on the ship. Cozumel, though we no longer get off the ship as we have been there probably 10 times, we have always enjoyed the port.