Excursion Booking Strategy for March

[sakigemcam]

Hello Cruisers - 

 

We like to book excursions early but considering COVID I've been putting off doing so for our March 22 trip. We generally go off on our own to a beach or book a local tour operator rather than the ship's tours. 

Considering COVID precautions and even port closings, optimistically hoping that by March neither one of these would be issues - what would your booking strategy be? Would you book local excursions outside the ship's? I know this is somewhat attempting to predict the future but would appreciate your insight.

 

Thanks!

[mom says]

Since it's impossible to know the situation a month from now, let alone 4, we plan to book Celebrity's  private journeys. That way we get to go off on our own, and avoid being crammed into a van or bus with strangers. If things open up close to our cruise, I may cancel (deadline is 21 days before departure), and book  an independent one.

[Catlover54]

Where are you going?

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, sakigemcam said:

Hello Cruisers - 

 

We like to book excursions early but considering COVID I've been putting off doing so for our March 22 trip. We generally go off on our own to a beach or book a local tour operator rather than the ship's tours. 

Considering COVID precautions and even port closings, optimistically hoping that by March neither one of these would be issues - what would your booking strategy be? Would you book local excursions outside the ship's? I know this is somewhat attempting to predict the future but would appreciate your insight.

 

Thanks!

Go with the flow, it will be what it is in March.

[jelayne]

This link contains the most up to date info on boarding requirements and which ports are DYI and which require ship excursions.  It can change and does change frequently so keep a. Eye on this

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/travel

[GRBlizz]

Just booked a March Equinox cruise. Hubby uses a wheelchair full time. Normally we book private accessible tours if we can't just walk/roll from the ship (or we did back in the pre-COVID days.) 

 

I now see that almost all ports on the Ultimate Southern Caribbean itinerary are currently on "cruise tour only" status. But none of the X tours accommodate wheelchair users.

 

Of course things may change by March. But since we got the last available accessible cabin, surely X has a solution for wheelchair-using pax? 

 

I am familiar with the Disabled Cruising board, but asking here to see if anyone knows about X specific practices?

 

 

[teacherman]

We are cruising Jan 19 on Reflection.  I think I booked it last June, never thinking that all of the shutdowns would still be in effect.  Anyway, I booked a private catamaran tour for Barbados and payed a 50% deposit.  Four days ago, I received an email from them saying that only ship tours were allowed and they were refunding my deposit.  As of now, the only island allowing local tours is Antigua, so we will take a taxi to our normal beach.   We do not do ship tours.  We have been to each of these islands MANY times and have seen it all.  We had our own things we liked to do, and if I had known this was going to be the policy, then I would not have booked this cruise.  For the same amount of money we could have enjoyed a nice land trip.

 

Just another thought (my own) is that these requirements MAY be coming form Celebrity.  They make good money from their ship tours.  With reduced capacity on the ship, they MAY be requiring ship tours to fill them.  As capacity becomes greater, then more private tours could be allowed. 

[sakigemcam]

18 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

Where are you going?

Ultimate Southern Carib - Barbados, St Maarten, Antigua, St Lucia, St Kitts 

 

[sakigemcam]

3 hours ago, teacherman said:

We are cruising Jan 19 on Reflection.  I think I booked it last June, never thinking that all of the shutdowns would still be in effect.  Anyway, I booked a private catamaran tour for Barbados and payed a 50% deposit.  Four days ago, I received an email from them saying that only ship tours were allowed and they were refunding my deposit.  As of now, the only island allowing local tours is Antigua, so we will take a taxi to our normal beach.   We do not do ship tours.  We have been to each of these islands MANY times and have seen it all.  We had our own things we liked to do, and if I had known this was going to be the policy, then I would not have booked this cruise.  For the same amount of money we could have enjoyed a nice land trip.

 

Just another thought (my own) is that these requirements MAY be coming form Celebrity.  They make good money from their ship tours.  With reduced capacity on the ship, they MAY be requiring ship tours to fill them.  As capacity becomes greater, then more private tours could be allowed. 

May I ask what your "normal beach" is in in Antigua? First time there - we do like an option to do shore snorkeling although i'm reading Antigua isn't the best for that. Thanks!

[sakigemcam]

My head is spinning - book backup ship excursions, even if just beach breaks, figure out what "government approved tour operators are," decide on our own level of comfort (ie, recent reports shows St. Lucia, for example, is only close to 20% vaccinated), book other tour operators, hope I can coordinate all of this and cancel what is needed. This is not relaxing!

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, sakigemcam said:

My head is spinning - book backup ship excursions, even if just beach breaks, figure out what "government approved tour operators are," decide on our own level of comfort (ie, recent reports shows St. Lucia, for example, is only close to 20% vaccinated), book other tour operators, hope I can coordinate all of this and cancel what is needed. This is not relaxing!

Welcome to the new "normal" in cruising.  

[teacherman]

We look for beaches with nice sand, good shade or umbrellas, food and drink to buy, fairly close to the port, etc.  Antigua has many of these.  We usually go to Valley Church Beach, or Turner's Beach, or Darkwood.  We normally go out of the pier area and find people who are also going to a beach.  We join up and get a taxi driver who will take us and bring us back.   Easy to do, and it seems this cruise we are staying in Antigua longer than normal.