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Banana15
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We just booked a cruise on Celebrity Excursion for May. The cruise is set to go to Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, and Key West. I have read snorkeling in Bonaire is recommended, but what do you guys think? Any specific things to do?I am a beach/ocean girl, but I would like to see some of the island.

Key West will likely be a trolley/walk around day. What about the others?

Any places to ride horses on the beach?

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We had a lot of OBC so we did the excursion from Celebrity with Seacow and it was great. Woodwinds you can book on your own and I believe is #1 on tripadvisor (seacow is #2). This is for Bonaire.

 

 

 

I've read a lot about the risk in booking outside the ship...is that a legitimate concern or not really?

 

 

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I've read a lot about the risk in booking outside the ship...is that a legitimate concern or not really?

 

 

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In my opinion the risky excursions are the ones booked through the cruise lines. They are usually overpriced, overcrowded, inferior experiences. So long as you do a little research you can find reputable companies that will provide a better experience and usually save money too - without incurring any significant risk. The port of call boards and roll call boards here on Cruise Critic as well as Trip Advisor are great resources. The research really pays dividends.

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I think my only concern is the whole "if you're not back when the boat leaves, oh well..." comments I have read. I imagine the excursions would be cheaper outside the ship, and probably a much larger selection...but am I risking not being back in time?

 

 

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We just booked a cruise on Celebrity Excursion for May. The cruise is set to go to Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, and Key West. I have read snorkeling in Bonaire is recommended, but what do you guys think? Any specific things to do?I am a beach/ocean girl, but I would like to see some of the island.

Key West will likely be a trolley/walk around day. What about the others?

Any places to ride horses on the beach?

 

Two Words Trikes Aruba:). We probably had some of the best giggles doing it.

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I've read a lot about the risk in booking outside the ship...is that a legitimate concern or not really?

 

 

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Not in this case! Woodwinds reputation is very good and they fill up fast. I had reservation with them but decided to use my OBC instead. In this case, the excursion with Seacow was fantastic too.

 

If you go with Woodwinds try to get in the AM group. If not space, get in the waitlist.

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Sadly, the Trikes option gets booked up very early and is often not available. We booked our October cruise back in January and were already too late for it, so if you're interested, make sure you book early!

 

As for ship's excursions vs. private, we've done both, many times. Comparing just one type, tours, our favorite one was in Falmouth where we joins some CC pals and toured the are with stops at Rose Hall and Montego Bay. It was a good price and a great tour, with a great local guide showing us around. The worst was a ship's excursion in Roatan which was part boat and part land. The guide we had was horrible, pointing out the fascinating sites as we drove through a town ('this is our local supermarket and over there is the clinic'!!), all in a flat, monotone voice. Not good!

 

We have also had occasion where we took a tour we managed to arrange in port (Costa Maya) and were sharing the tour with people from the ship. Of course, we paid less than 2/3rds of the price for the same experience!

 

All you have to remember is to make sure the private tour is well recommended on the boards(here, Yelp or similar) and watch the time!

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We frequently book non-ship excursions primarily for the better experience that comes with a smaller group. Tender ports are often the exception. We had one vendor tell us that if he got us back to the ship late, he was out of business due to social media. Another related that it is far easier for a minivan to find alternate routes than a 50 passenger bus. Besides, if there is a traffic jam, you only need to be ahead of one ship's excursion bus. BTW, Woodwind is within walking distance of the dock and you can see the ship the entire time (except when looking down at the amazing views). Enjoy.

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I think my only concern is the whole "if you're not back when the boat leaves, oh well..." comments I have read. I imagine the excursions would be cheaper outside the ship, and probably a much larger selection...but am I risking not being back in time?

 

 

 

We only book excursions through the ship in case something happens. We had a near disaster quite a few years back. Put it this way, if we wouldn't have taken a ship sponsored tour the ship would've sailed off with our 2 year old! Never again will I risk that happening....although he is now 18 😜. I know it can be a little cheaper booking outside of the cruise line, but I don't want to take the chance of missing the ship!..jmo

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I just send in a reservation request to Trikes. Unfortunately, I requested the 9 AM tour and then realize that our ship doesn't come in until 11 AM. I sent an email requesting them to move us to the 2 PM one. It also shows that there is some availability for sunset tour. Which one did all of you do?

 

 

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I think my only concern is the whole "if you're not back when the boat leaves, oh well..." comments I have read. I imagine the excursions would be cheaper outside the ship, and probably a much larger selection...but am I risking not being back in time?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We only book excursions through the ship in case something happens. We had a near disaster quite a few years back. Put it this way, if we wouldn't have taken a ship sponsored tour the ship would've sailed off with our 2 year old! Never again will I risk that happening....although he is now 18 [emoji12]. I know it can be a little cheaper booking outside of the cruise line, but I don't want to take the chance of missing the ship!..jmo

 

 

 

Yep, that is what I worry about. I guess I just have to make sure I'm not any place I could be stranded....so I could get transportation back.

 

 

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That sounds fun. Do you know how much that is? Is it through the ship or no?

 

 

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I believe it was $90.00 for the day. They provided a map and pointed out points of Interest. loved being able to go at our pace and lounge whenever and wherever we wanted to.

 

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I believe it was $90.00 for the day. They provided a map and pointed out points of Interest. loved being able to go at our pace and lounge whenever and wherever we wanted to.

 

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That would be fun. So, can you take it to go somewhere to snorkel or is it more of a "sightseeing" type thing? I already reserved the trikes in Aruba, so I definitely want beach time.

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I second Woodwinds. They are fabulous. The private tours know when the ships are in and what time they leave. You will get back to the ship on time.

Not in this case! Woodwinds reputation is very good and they fill up fast. I had reservation with them but decided to use my OBC instead. In this case, the excursion with Seacow was fantastic too.

 

If you go with Woodwinds try to get in the AM group. If not space, get in the waitlist.

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I'm with Purplsmurf--there's a real risk to taking a non-cruise ship-sponsored excursion. Also worth noting is that very often, the ship's time is not the same as island time. - Musing About Cruising

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Gotta disagree; much more risky taking a cruise ship excursion. Near 100% chance of overpaying. Near 100% chance of being over-crowded. Very high chance of an inferior experience. No chance to customize. Booking an independent tour with a reputable company results in a minuscule risk of missing the ship - on all my time on Cruise Critic I don't recall a single thread about someone on a private tour missing the ship (but have seen a thread where people on a excursion booked via the cruise line missed the ship).

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