Slythgal

We cruised for the first time on the Norwegian Sky this May. I knew it was possible to do shore excursions cheaper by not going through the cruise line but, as a new cruiser, I wanted that extra layer of security that the ship would not leave without us. However, something happened on our very first excursion that really made me question how cruise line's apply that guarantee. I thought I would post the scenario and see what everyone's thoughts on it are.

We took a waterfalls excursion through NCL in Puerto Plata that was supposed to return almost an hour before all-aboard time. It actually returned 5 minutes before all aboard time and it dropped us back off at the very far end of the port - not where it originally picked us up at the top of the port. The walk back took a good 10 minutes and that was with us hoofing it. I was beyond stressed the entire time! I was thinking that the cruise line's obligation to wait for us ended as soon as the excursion provider dropped us off and that the ship would leave without us because of the length of the walk back.

In the end, I didn't need to worry because there was already a very long line to get back on board. But it was a nerve-wracking 10 minutes!

Which leads me to my questions - how do cruise lines know that one of their excursions is late? And what counts as late? Do they allow enough time for folks to reasonably make it back to the ship? I would sincerely hope they allow some leeway but there are so many horror stories on the internet that I'm just not sure.

Yes, it is St. John Antigua, not USVI. I didn't want to post in multiple forums so I just picked the one associated with the first stop. Sorry for the confusion!

Thank you both! I'll definitely check out the Hassel Island and kayak tours. 

Our NCL cruise is going to St. Thomas one day and St. John the next (early June). I've checked a few different sites with port schedules and we're the only ship scheduled at both places. Not sure how accurate that is but I'm excited that it might not be as crowded as I feared!

I am sooo lost with what to do at these ports. I don't mind doing an official excursion with NCL but they are somewhat limited for these ports. They're mostly shopping and all-day beach breaks. I'm looking for any excursion (NCL or not) or private tour company that y'all could recommend that would have more to do. AND wouldn't leave us in danger of missing the boat!

We have an 11-year old daughter and we're fairly adventurous. I definitely want to snorkel at some point, but I don't want to just hang out at a beach all day. We love kayaking, history, and stuff that is off the beaten path.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!