reliable off ship tour providers

Hi all, I've been on 7 cruises now, all with Royal Caribbean,and heading for our 8th on Norwegian Breakaway in a couple weeks.

We generally don't do a lot of excursions , maybe 1,possibly 2 per trip. Most stops we usually like to find a nearby beach and relax. On previous cruises I have booked excursions both from the ship, as well as on the dock with the local providers. I am wondering if anyone has booked IN ADVANCE with any private companies for any Caribbean ports, and if so how the experience was for you ?

Also , 3 ports we are heading to next month will be new to us. Anyone with any tips for me on beaches or Can't miss adventures in St. Thomas, Basseterre or Tortola would be appreciated.

Thx in advance

Colin

Hi all, I've been on 7 cruises now, all with Royal Caribbean,and heading for our 8th on Norwegian Breakaway in a couple weeks.

 

We generally don't do a lot of excursions , maybe 1,possibly 2 per trip. Most stops we usually like to find a nearby beach and relax. On previous cruises I have booked excursions both from the ship, as well as on the dock with the local providers. I am wondering if anyone has booked IN ADVANCE with any private companies for any Caribbean ports, and if so how the experience was for you ?

 

Also , 3 ports we are heading to next month will be new to us. Anyone with any tips for me on beaches or Can't miss adventures in St. Thomas, Basseterre or Tortola would be appreciated.

 

 

 

Thx in advance

 

Colin

Your best option for getting more replies is to post under each of the ports you are interested in under the Ports of Call Forums on this board. There is much more activity there and lots of good information from previous posts and using the search feature.

As to your question, we rarely use tours from the cruise line and book almost all tours online prior to leaving. Many of the popular excursions can sell out, so we book as far in advance as possible on most of them. We have not had any issues when booking in advance and like the fact that we know what we are doing when we arrive. Some request payment in advance, others a small deposit and some just hold a spot for you and you pay when you get there. Just do some research and make sure the company / website you use are legitimate and well rated.