Excursions ...But not thru Carnival

[topaz123]

Are there other excursions available for ports NOT thru carnival. Found a few sites that offer some better iteneraries that work best for us, but did not want to go with someone less reliable.   DO you know of an alternative tour site for our stops?

[nc762shooter]

Check each port on tripadvisor, it should have a fairly comprehensive list of things to do along with ratings and reviews. Some ports also have official websites that would also have activities listed and hopefully those would all be reputable operators. Otherwise I don't know of any one site that would list available excursions similar to how the cruise lines do.

[mz-s]

You'll have to do your own research, there isn't an alternative that I am aware of.

 

You can ask on Cruise Critic under the specific port of call forum for advice.

[Sabalon]

You either have to get off the ship and figure it out then, or do research before you get there, and sometimes even book then.  

In Grand Cayman, we overslept and missed our excursion.  Went into port, basically booked the same thing (mostly brokering taxi rides and tickets to the place).  Guy even told me to go to the excursion desk and let them know you missed it and they'll probably give you on board credit - and they did.    This one was very much seat of the pants thing.

For Freeport our first time, we found a place online ahead of time with great reviews so did that.  I think we had "booked" it ahead of time, which was basically "when you get off the ship, go here."

I've usually found the prices to be close enough that the extra guarantee via Carnival is worth the little extra.    It also depends on the port and type of excursion.    Getting around a small island is one thing...going on a two hour trek into Belize or something, I'm not risking that one!

TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc are your friends in trying to sus out what feels legit, and more to the point, what makes you feel like you're not going to miss the ship!

[teknoge3k]

The ship is just your mode of transportation. Once you're in port, you can do whatever you want, with whoever you want. We personally would never do excursions through the cruise line, though some people are scared to venture out and only do cruise excursions. 

 

I always would just Google things to do in each port, find something I like, then research who offers what we want to do, or do it on our own. There are dozens of excursion brokers out there such as Viator, Shore Excursioneer, etc. Just remember, they're an excursion BROKER not an excursion OPERATOR. Meaning they're just a middle-man taking your money. If you book directly with the local, you can research them first and get actual reviews on them rather than filtered content from the broker. You'll also likely get a better price since you're not paying a third party.

 

If you mention which ports you're asking about, you'll yield a lot more suggestions. Nobody knows where you're going. Check the ports of call board(s) for each port you're visiting for more info.

[jeblack1]

Some ports I would feel extremely safe doing a self guided tour or finding an excursion in the port (Aruba, Grandy Cayman, Cozumel, San Juan, St Thomas), but others there is no way I do anything like that (Jamaica, Belize, Honduras, DR (any of the ports), Nassau.  They may be perfectly safe, but infrastructure alone can cause issues trying to get back to the port if something happens.  In those situations is it best to have the guarantee from the cruise line.

 

Anything can happen anywhere, but to quote Jurassic Park "If the pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists!"   Just be sure to do your research and know your time limitations.

[mikayla73]

If you book outside of the ships excursions, make sure the better itineraries you find have enough time to get back to the ship, with plenty of buffer. The ship will leave without you and you'll be left to your own devices to either meet the ship at the next port or get home. That's not a way I'd want to end a wonderful day at any port.

[FredZiffle]

We've been cruising for 36 years, and the only time we take a ship excursion is if we have OBC to burn.  We've taken trains all across Italy; hopped on a train in Germany and just rode west for several hours, getting off when we saw something interesting; rented a car in Argentina and drove 3 hours each way to see penguins; rented a car in Iceland and drove the Golden Circle; and many times booked excursions/tours directly with locals.  Often, I'll research public transportation options at a port, and we'll spend the day on buses, trams, or trains getting to all the sites.  

[mrpayroll]

Have done many excursions not using the Cruise line. Never had a problem. 

Most ,if not all pier runners are people that go to a bar for the day and stay too long. Haven't read where an excursion company returned late and the people missed the ship. You would see it on the web, twenty to thirty people all running down the pier.

[Butterbean1000]

We have used Trip Advisor for many excursions in various ports.  Just be mindful of the times of return to port.  We always opt for very early start times with getting back to port a few hours before all aboard time.  A lot of excursions guarantee timely return to port.

[Elaine5715]

19 minutes ago, mrpayroll said:

Have done many excursions not using the Cruise line. Never had a problem. 

Most ,if not all pier runners are people that go to a bar for the day and stay too long. Haven't read where an excursion company returned late and the people missed the ship. You would see it on the web, twenty to thirty people all running down the pier.

The story that was all over the news this year was non cruise line excursions.  

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Travel/cruise-line-contact-stranded-passengers-traveled-africa-rejoin/story?id=108741892

[Elaine5715]

There is a difference in non cruise line excursions that are allowed to operate at pots and ones kept outside the port area.  The further the operator is away from the ship, the more caution.  

[ontheweb]

Another thing you can do is check the roll call for your cruise and see what others might be doing and see if they are looking for other cruisers to join them.

[topaz123]

Thanks to all....superb suggestions.....WE are looking at CURCAO for excurions.  

[topaz123]

1 hour ago, jeblack1 said:

Some ports I would feel extremely safe doing a self guided tour or finding an excursion in the port (Aruba, Grandy Cayman, Cozumel, San Juan, St Thomas), but others there is no way I do anything like that (Jamaica, Belize, Honduras, DR (any of the ports), Nassau.  They may be perfectly safe, but infrastructure alone can cause issues trying to get back to the port if something happens.  In those situations is it best to have the guarantee from the cruise line.

 

Anything can happen anywhere, but to quote Jurassic Park "If the pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists!"   Just be sure to do your research and know your time limitations.

Agree with the avoid ports....Been to Jamaica many times, the port there is mobbed with people,yelling, pulling, following you around....just dont seem safe

[stobe1]

51 minutes ago, mrpayroll said:

Have done many excursions not using the Cruise line. Never had a problem. 

Most ,if not all pier runners are people that go to a bar for the day and stay too long. Haven't read where an excursion company returned late and the people missed the ship. You would see it on the web, twenty to thirty people all running down the pier.

 

There were several cruisers on NCL doing a private excursion recently over in Africa that got left behind. They had to do a 3 or 4 day trek across Africa to catch up with the ship.  It makes for an entertaining read over on the NCL boards and made national news.

Edited April 30 by stobe1

[stobe1]

2 hours ago, topaz123 said:

Are there other excursions available for ports NOT thru carnival. Found a few sites that offer some better iteneraries that work best for us, but did not want to go with someone less reliable.   DO you know of an alternative tour site for our stops?

 

Not sure if I am "allowed" to suggest this, or if it violates "the rules" (and if it does I am sure the mods will delete it and send me a nastygram), but we use shoreexcursioneer.com, viator.com, resortforaday.com and daypasses.com to find our excursions.

[jeblack1]

54 minutes ago, topaz123 said:

Thanks to all....superb suggestions.....WE are looking at CURCAO for excurions.  

We went there last year and did a cruise tour as I wasn't familiar with the island, but this year (going back there) we are renting a car and doing it ourselves so we can spend more time at the the beach, with turtles and stop where we want if we see something interesting.  Downside about renting a car (from where we are renting anyway) is that is has to be back 2 hours before the ship leaves.  No ideal, but rather that than be on a bus.

[mfs2k]

4 hours ago, topaz123 said:

Are there other excursions available for ports NOT thru carnival. Found a few sites that offer some better iteneraries that work best for us, but did not want to go with someone less reliable.   DO you know of an alternative tour site for our stops?

 

What do you do when you go to a new city for a day?  Do you take a tour or explore on your own?  I understand why one would want to use a cruise ship tour when you're travelling far from the ship, but for nearby tours, I suggest TripAdvisor for guidance, or google. There's a lot of scare tactics employed by cruiselines to get your to book through them, but if you plan to return to the ship 2 hours or more before departure, you'll likely be fine unless you fall off a cliff or into a ravine. 

[Sudoku]

Check out he PORT section on Cruise Critic. Also check out your roll call. Sometimes others cruisers already have private excursions booked. 

[FredZiffle]

16 hours ago, mfs2k said:

 

What do you do when you go to a new city for a day?  Do you take a tour or explore on your own?  I understand why one would want to use a cruise ship tour when you're travelling far from the ship, but for nearby tours, I suggest TripAdvisor for guidance, or google. There's a lot of scare tactics employed by cruiselines to get your to book through them, but if you plan to return to the ship 2 hours or more before departure, you'll likely be fine unless you fall off a cliff or into a ravine. 

And, if you fall off a cliff, you've got more important things to worry about than missing the ship.

[mfs2k]

11 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

And, if you fall off a cliff, you've got more important things to worry about than missing the ship.

Maybe it’s a small cliff which will make you late but not injured. 

Edited May 1 by mfs2k

[nc762shooter]

25 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Maybe it’s a small cliff which will make you late but not injured. 

Or it was a cliff overlooking the port and was just a shortcut!

[mfs2k]

38 minutes ago, nc762shooter said:

Or it was a cliff overlooking the port and was just a shortcut!

boom

[jsglow]

Probably 80% of our excursions are arranged privately. Websites already mentioned are great resources. In our experience, it's a better option and is often less expensive. What we don't do is show up at the port and randomly pick out one from some hawker holding a sign. Ports of Call sections on this board provide great suggestions.