Excursion ?'s from first time cruiser NCL Spirit

[ccastano]

We are on the 2/26 bahamas cruise. The one thing they don't tell you, is whether or not you can just get off the ship for free and go do whatever you want. I'm assuming you can since people book their own excursions. Obviously at the dock it only requires getting off the ship, but what about where there are tenders, on Great Stirrup Cay for instance. I notice that there is an excursion listed for snorkeling, but I was told that includes renting the gear. Can you just go and snorkel without paying if you have your own gear? What about the BBQ..is that part of the price? TIA..

[BOYNSEA]

If you have your own gear you can snorkle with out paying for an excursion. The cost of Stirrup Cay excursion would be providing gear for those who don't bring their own. I have not been on Stirrup Cay in many years but last year we snorkeled at Half Moon Cay (Holland America's island) alongside those who paid for their gear. I am sure it is the same with NCL. Also the BBQ is provided by NCL as your lunch - no charge. At any port you can do your own thing as far as excursions go. Grab a cab, rent a car, etc. The important thing is getting back in time to the ship. They will leave without you if you are not on board. We have learned a lot on CRUISE CRITIC as far as what to do at port stops. Many times we have booked excursions on our own via online before we left home. We learned from word of mouth (type) on these boards about various excursions (Cave tubing in Belize, helmet diving in Bermuda, swimming with the stingrays...) They have always been positive experiences. Have fun.

[johnql]

To the OP, you can come and go as you please when the ship is docked - doesn't cost you anything. Many people just walk off the ship and explore on their own. Just make sure you're back on board at least half an hour before the ship is scheduled to sail. When the ship is anchored, you will need to ride a tender to get ashore. That doesn't cost anything either, but be sure to make a note of when the last tender returns to the ship. Enjoy your cruise!

[ccastano]

Thank you very much! We are pretty much sticking to NCL excursions when we are booking one since this is our first cruise, but since we actually dock at three of our stops we thought it might be nice just to wander around at least one day. And we have our own snorkel gear, didn't want to pay if we didn't need to! THanks again!

[WaldosPepper]

ccastano - have you signed up for the rollcall for your sailing? I'll bet the folks on your rollcall will have lots of ideas and information to share - plus, you get to meet folks before you board! :D

 

Also, you might want to check out the "ports of call" area as well. There's a ton of great advice over there as well.

 

Happy sailing! I hope you have a great time! ;)