pittcruisers Posted January 31, 2009 #1 Share Posted January 31, 2009 We will be sailing on the Norwegian Spirit out of New Orleans for Spring Break. My husband and I have cruised before (Carnival) but our children (14 & 10) have not. I would welcome any excursion advice. When my husband and I cruised before we just rented the snorkeling equipment and snorkeled at each port independently but I'm not seeing where that is an option. I've also seen on this board that people book the excursions on their own to save money (which I'm very interested in) but have had problems with the tenders, etc. I know we want to do as dolphin encounter and it doesn't seem to be anymore expensive to book it through NCL than to just do it at the park. But I can't affort $400 + on excursions in each port! I welcome your expertise, advice and recommendations. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk218 Posted January 31, 2009 #2 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Western Carib ? You must do the swim with the stingrays at grand cayman . Do it independently , see here http://www.stingraycity.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhayman Posted January 31, 2009 #3 Share Posted January 31, 2009 You will find a wealth of information on excursions on your own and through the ship on the ports of call boards for each port you are stopping at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toyz711 Posted January 31, 2009 #4 Share Posted January 31, 2009 the spirit doesn't do grand cayman. the best thing is to check out each of the port-of-calls boards: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5 these ports aren't the laid back, easy going ports like most of the caribe. these are adventure-waiting, get away from the port and see the country..ports. i do this route for the wonderful mayan ruins... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budget Queen Posted January 31, 2009 #5 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Your best port for snorkling is Belize. This does require a boat tour, which are excellent. I've gone with Coral Breezes, but there are others. Go to the port boards, all your information is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrymtex01 Posted January 31, 2009 #6 Share Posted January 31, 2009 This subject does come up a lot on the boards. Here what I always say about it. If you book through the private tour companies, you can save some money. However if your tour runs late for any reason and you are not back to the ship when you are supposed to be, the ship will sail without you and it is your responsiblity to get yourself to the next port of call or back to the port of embarkation. As I am sure you can imagine, that can be very expensive. If you book your excursion through NCL, you might have to pay more, but if your tour runs late, the ship will still be there waiting for you when you do get back to the dock. For some people they would be miserable knowing they paid more for a tour they booked through NCL than through a private tour so they would not enjoy the excursion as much. Then there are folks like us that would be miserable on a private tour always being in fear that we would miss the ship by running late. It is up to you as to which you think you would be more comfortable with and enjoy. We usually will do a mixutre of both on a cruise if we know a port of call fairly well. ie. Cozumel. We have been there enough times we feel comfortable finding our way around so we might would do a private tour company there or just go off on our own on the island. Do what is right for you and your family and you will have a good time I am sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pittcruisers Posted February 1, 2009 Author #7 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Thanks to all of you for the great information. I am a newby so wasn't aware of the ports of call boards which are great. I appreciate all of your willingness to share your experiences and insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisnGram Posted February 1, 2009 #8 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I know we want to do as dolphin encounter and it doesn't seem to be anymore expensive to book it through NCL than to just do it at the park. Here's what you need to be careful of. In Cozumel for example, the ship offered a dolphin excursion. We actually booked it and then I started doing some research on CC. I found that the excursion that the ship was offering was not nearly as nice of a dolphin experience as one I could book myself, through Dolphin Discovery. The price was almost identical. The one on the ship was an "encounter" where you got to pet the dolphins, kiss the dolphins, etc, while the one we booked through DD was more dolphin time, and much more interactive...fin pull, foot push, etc. So we got a lot more for our money by booking privately. Just do your research on the port of call boards before you decide. CG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveller20074 Posted February 1, 2009 #9 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I kind of see what you're saying, but wouldn't the excursion companies in the ports make SURE you get back as their livelihood depends on people using their company? :confused: This subject does come up a lot on the boards. Here what I always say about it. If you book through the private tour companies, you can save some money. However if your tour runs late for any reason and you are not back to the ship when you are supposed to be, the ship will sail without you and it is your responsiblity to get yourself to the next port of call or back to the port of embarkation. As I am sure you can imagine, that can be very expensive. If you book your excursion through NCL, you might have to pay more, but if your tour runs late, the ship will still be there waiting for you when you do get back to the dock. For some people they would be miserable knowing they paid more for a tour they booked through NCL than through a private tour so they would not enjoy the excursion as much. Then there are folks like us that would be miserable on a private tour always being in fear that we would miss the ship by running late. It is up to you as to which you think you would be more comfortable with and enjoy. We usually will do a mixutre of both on a cruise if we know a port of call fairly well. ie. Cozumel. We have been there enough times we feel comfortable finding our way around so we might would do a private tour company there or just go off on our own on the island. Do what is right for you and your family and you will have a good time I am sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisnGram Posted February 1, 2009 #10 Share Posted February 1, 2009 I kind of see what you're saying, but wouldn't the excursion companies in the ports make SURE you get back as their livelihood depends on people using their company? :confused: Yes, IF it's within their control. However, here's the thing. If you are on a tour through the ship, and the bus breaks down, the ship will wait for you. If you are on a private excursion, and the bus breaks down, the ship won't wait. Take it from someone who has missed a ship....they do not wait. That's why many people choose ship excursions to be safe. Private excursions are usually better then the ship excursions and more reasonable in price for what you get. Just be sure to allow yourself plenty of time and keep an eye on the clock to remind your guide of time if necessary. CG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toyz711 Posted February 1, 2009 #11 Share Posted February 1, 2009 they do try and do a good job of it...you hear of very few, if any, missing their ship. their business is based on word-of-mouth, they don't want it getting out that someone missed the boat while on tour. BUT it could happen and then it's up to you to make your way back to the ship or home. where as the cruise is responsible if you are on a ship's excursion. like in cozumel, if someone wants to go to tulum (mayan ruins) it's a BIG trip over to the mainland. you have to take a ferry from cozumel to the mainland then a long bus ride to the ruins. anything could happen to delay getting back. people do it on their own all the time...but they know the risks. BUT for the dolphin encounter, no big deal...it's just down the road from the docks, a short taxi ride, very easy to do on your own. belize...lamanai and the river safair is a ALL day excursions. an hour bus ride, an hour boat ride...tour the site and an hour boat back and an hour bus back. i saw one tour bus broken down. it's a trip i recommend doing through NCL, just for protection. now if you were talking about some place like alaska..no problems, go independent with local vendors all you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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