Has anyone ever been left behind...

[JellybeansMom]

after booking an excursion that wasn't through their cruise line? I know that it can happen, I just wonder how common it is.

 

I am seriously considering booking a cave tubing excursion, but am trying to watch every penny and I know it's cheaper to book independently. However, I tend to play things safe. I'm tempted to book through the ship, but other things I have read say they get a better and longer tour by doing it with an independent operator (and most importantly, it's less expensive)

[pilarkitty]

I always book through the cruise line, because i don't want to find out what happens if you don't get back to the port in time. I was just reading someone's review on cruisecritic.com and their big complaint was that they got left behind and it cost over $500 in airfare and hotel to get to the next island in the cruise. Their vehicle got a flat time.

 

I would be weary about flat tires and other car problems, especially in Belize. Belize isn't exactly the most modern country and you travel on two lane and dirt roads to get back to the caves. I don't think there's a AAA equivalent in Belize. I barely saw a gas station on the way to the caves.

 

I booked the cave tube excursion through Carnival. We took big coaches to the caves. There was a caravan of probably 20 coaches. The caves were really crowded. It was fun, but I don't think I would do it again.

[DonMar]

In Feb of 07 we went to Lamanai through a independent tour. Lamanai is not close to the port. It is so remote that you have to take tiny boat 24 miles down the New River - after the 1 1/4 hour drive. We really wanted to do this and it was not offered by the ship.

 

We are not veteran cruisers. We had been on one cruise previous to this. On CC Roll Call, I was warned about the ship leaving etc. We looked at all the outcomes and we were prepared to miss the ship, although we were confident that that would not happen.

 

We did go to Lamanai and had the most amazing experience and would not trade it for the world. We were the only two people at this incredible Mayan site and we had very personal service. IMO - this beats the brigade of hundreds on cruise line excursions.

 

We did make it back with time to do a little shopping. Was it worth the risk? - without a doubt.

 

This is a "risk management" decision you need to make. I will say that the people who run reputable indi tours rely on "our" business, so they will do most anything to make sure you get back to your ship on time. - no guarantees.

[dan16sandi7]

after booking an excursion that wasn't through their cruise line? I know that it can happen, I just wonder how common it is.

 

I am seriously considering booking a cave tubing excursion, but am trying to watch every penny and I know it's cheaper to book independently. However, I tend to play things safe. I'm tempted to book through the ship, but other things I have read say they get a better and longer tour by doing it with an independent operator (and most importantly, it's less expensive)

We did the cave tubing as a Carnival booked shore excurision in March of '06. The bus journey is a fairly long one and we were the last group to leave the port and return back at the end of the day. We had NO time for shopping as we had to rush back to the tenders as soon as our bus arrived. So even with the ship's excursion we cut it close. We did pass another bus that was broken down on the hiway but they were not from our ship...I wonder now if they were faced with airfares to catch up to their boat! Anyhow, in most cases private excursions seem to be safe and definately less expensive, but due to the time length and potential for delay maybe this is one to book with the cruise line?

[Sharkmedic]

What a great question! I have never been left behind, but you will always hear the pages for certain passangers to contact the purser, before the ship is about to leave port.

 

Make a habit of grabbing a drink and watching the gangway just before leaving port. You will likely see someone hauling butt to get to the ship, or missing the ship. I have found it not only common but entertaining.

 

Using a cruise sponsored excursion will ensure that you won't get left behind. One important thing to do is make sure your watch is on ship's time before going ashore. Regardless of the local time, use the ship's time! :)

[travgurl]

We went on our first cruise last July. We booked privately in Belize and Cozumel. We made sure that our guides knew what time we had to be back to the ship. We had no problems! We had fantastic times at both ports. We booked through the ship in Nassau. There were so many more people. The private excursions were really worth it!

[wrinklesandme]

The Cruise Ship passengers are the bread and butter for most of the tour companies in Belize. They probably know the departure times better than most passengers. Therefore, they will do everything in their power to make sure you are back in time for your last tender.

 

Yet, we had the experience of watching a family of five miss the ship! They were on their own and the father changed his watch when he should not have. Right before departure, the captain announced that if the missing passengers made it to the dock in the next 15 minutes, they would be able to get a boat to meet the ship out at the Pilots House. (Ships are driven in and out of Belize by a local Pilot rather than the Captain due to the small channel and the coral reefs.) Within a few minutes, the captain announced that the passengers had made it to the dock and he invited us all to come up top and welcome them aboard in about an hour.

 

We watched as a Chartered Boat followed us to the Pilots House. This is where the ship stops/slows down and the Pilot gets off the ship. The family of 5 then put on life jackets, tied a rope around their waists and jumped onboard. It was a feat to watch and I was so thankful to the Almighty that it was not me!

 

We went with Coral Breeze for our tour and were very pleased with them and back in plenty of time.

 

My advise would be to stick with companies that have been reviewed on these boards. They rely on word of mouth for their advertisement and work extremely hard to maintain an excellent reputation.

 

Enjoy!

 

Leigh

[startraveller]

Most operators mix groups from different ships to fill capacity so you may find that you have arrived but still may have to wait until others arrive. This of course delays teh departure time and the return time for that matter. The suggestion would be to get a private tour - that way when you are there you're ready to leave. Some companies offer private or small tours for as little as 2 persons. Try amphilife

[HarpHarp]

We booked independet excursions for our Western Caribbean intinerary and had no problem. Startraveller is right about mixing from different ships but there is some help for that. Hop on over to your roll call and post a share excursion request. Not only might you have 10 20 or more from your ship join you, but you may get a heck of a price break as well.

If I remember correctly,over 25 from my CC role call went cave tubing, for about half of what the ship charged, and with that many had their own bus,

[gemsm]

My Mom and Pop went on a snorkelling excursion booked through the ship when they sailed RCCL many years ago. They were the last group brought back to the dock where the snorkel boat left from and they had no transportation available there to take them back to the ship dock.

 

20 of them got left behind and had to pay out of there pocket to get to the next port two islands over (They chartered a boat).

 

To make it worse...many of the Pax did not have much attire as it was a snorkelling trip.

 

I don't know if things have changed or not in those many years but just because you booked through the ship does not guarantee arrival to the dock in time for sailing.

[labmom]

Ok, this is not about the book.....but when we were in Belize in Jan 07 We were back on the boat and the boat was underway...I noticed the ship was slowing down and when I looked out the window there was one of the tenders coming up to us. Now I don't know if this was a group that was part of an independant but we did pick them up:)

Happy cruising,

Pam

[cheeseheads1]

We watched a late arrival in Cozumel. He had to run down the whole pier. (It is a loooooong pier). The crowd was cheering the guy the whole way. He jumped on and and they pulled up the gangplank and within five minutes we were out to sea. Evidentally someone had notified the ship he was on his way. It was too close for my comfort!!:)

[driftwood]

Every cruise ship has to run down the length of the Bay of Honduras, and every cruise ship uses the Belize tenders rather than their own, as the reefs are so tricky and some of the waters so shallow. As a result, there are hundreds of boats capable of taking people to and from shore at high speed, and slowing down and speeding up is not a big deal for the cruise ships on that route. Cruise ships are as indulgent of tardy passengers as they are of passengers aboard!

 

We watched from our Club Tower room at the Radisson Fort George for two weeks each cruise ship day as (usually three) cruise ships would one after the other weigh anchor and slowly move off. It always took each one at least an hour to get out of sight. Many of the boats in Belize carry two or even three 200 hp outboard motors--they can move along rather handily across the Bay, as you may imagine! :D

[zachnlucy]

We were in Montego Bay a few years ago, and were sitting on the balcony watching the ship getting ready to leave. Ropes were thrown off and we began to move away from the dock. We were about 20-30 feet away from land when we saw two fellas sauntering towards the ship, weaving around, holding beer bottles. We were getting further and further away, and they didn't even notice we had left. People on the balconies started yelling at them, they looked up and saw we were wayyyy away by then, and they started running. They got to the edge of the dock, started screaming and waving their bottles, but the ship didn't go back. One fella threw his bottle toward the ship, the other one laid down on the concrete.

 

I'm sorry, but it was hilarious.

[driftwood]

. . . has had more than enough extra drunks. It is possible, of course, that the would-be sailors you observed were so intoxicated that they were not even from your ship in the first place . . . . One Caribbean bar is much like another. :rolleyes:

[sag1804]

I almost missed once. I had a beer in my hand and they were screaming. I didn't get the ovation the last guy did though when he barely made it. He looked up at everyone and said STEAKS tonight are on me! hahah what a funny guy when the meal is already paid for.

[shark_bait]

If you stay with the companies that have been recommended here you'll be fine. We haven't booked a Ship's Excursion in our last 7 cruises, so that's probably 25-30 excursion's on our own and never a problem. We use a litlle common sense, like not going Scuba Diving while in Belize because I'm not comfortable with the time frame, it's doable but cutting it a bit too close for my likings. Book your cave tubing with cave-tubing.com or Major Tom or any of the other heavily recommended places here and enjoy yourself and the money you will save.:)

 

For extra piece of mind, check your schedule. If you are heading to Cozumel from Belize and for some crazy reason you were left behind, I believe it's only about a 5 hour drive to get to Playa Del Carmen where you cathch the ferry over to Cozumel. Not sure it's 5 hours exactly. but it's definitely drivable.

 

My left behind story. Martinique- Two teenagers who went on a fishing charter (on their own) had their fishing boat break down. We weren't 100 yards from the dock when they came a running waving their warms and screaming. Ship continues on for a awhile, maybe 1/2 mile out then stops. Yeah, they're going to bring the teenagers out and let them back on the ship. Everybody on the upper deck is cheering the Captain for being such a nice guy. NOT!!! Brought the tender out to the ship to pick up the father and take him back to port to deal with the teenagers.

 

Funny thing is that we left this port over 2 hours late because of a tendering debacle on the cruise line's part. They were using the ship's tenders and there weren't even close to enough tenders in service to handle the amount of passengers. Two hours standing in the sun waiting for a tender without even a blade of shade anywhere made for some hostile passengers onboard. When we didn't get those kids onboard I thought there was going to be a mutiny, even though we should have been long gone by the time they arrived at the dock.

 

For the record, once we figured out that the tender line was going nowhere fast, we headed over to a beach bar where we could watch the tender process and get a drink, which turned into several. Once the line was down to about 100 people we headed over. So I wasn't hostile once I got onboard, just drunk.:D

[Tracyisme]

We never book with the ship. Always cheaper outside, but yes the risk.?? I always make sure the guide knows when i have to be back, I keep track of the time, and make it really clear that I want to shop before getting back on the ship.

We have NEVER had an issue..but...we are careful....

Tracy

 

Often you get a better tour with the independants?>?

[sag1804]

A drink will always calm me down!

[driftwood]

. . . but of course there is a border crossing and a US cash exit fee from Belize by land (did you take your passport off the ship? Think you're getting into Mexico, Gringo?) and a ferry ride (45 min) to Cozumel . . . . Six hours seems a). optimistic and b). not much fun. Unless we were VERY late--about three hours--, I would try for a boat interception of the ship as being a cheaper alternative--even with a generous tip! :D

 

The other interesting question, of course, is how many extra sheets to the wind you are, and whether you will find anyone dumber than you to rent you a car . . . .

[mom4puff]

...and have never booked an excursion through the ship, and we have never come close to missing the ship. These ports are dependent on tourist dollars, and the people there do not want to screw that up. And pretty much anything the ship offers is available from independent operators right at the pier, but you have more control over when you want to depart and return and can often arranged a customized excursion. (Actually, we couldn't find an independent operator for Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman. We have been flown in a 12-seater plane to Ambergris Caye, Belize for some incredible barrier reef snorkeling; we had a private van in Dominica that took us through the mountains (incredible views) out to a point (we were the only people there) where the beach was black volcanic sand. The snorkeling was amazing with the black sparkly background. We had our own private boat for whale watching in Cabo San Lucas and were able to follow a pair of whales for quite a while. You have to be a little bit of a risk taker, and take precautions like using only licensed operators and negotiating price ahead of time, but you may be able to go to several places, each one of which is a separate excursion through the cruise line for less money and customized to your needs.