Worth the Money for Carnival Excursions?

[MoKin]

I am going on my first cruise in May on the Valor and have been reading about how Carnival allows their 'excursion purchasers' to go first on the tender ports. We will be going to Belize, Cozumel, Roatan, and Cayman.

 

Would it be worth it to book a Canival excursion at the tender ports? How do I find out what port is a tendered port?

 

Sorry so many questions!!

 

Thanks for the help!!

[DaytonCruiser]

I am going on my first cruise in May on the Valor and have been reading about how Carnival allows their 'excursion purchasers' to go first on the tender ports. We will be going to Belize, Cozumel, Roatan, and Cayman.

 

Would it be worth it to book a Canival excursion at the tender ports? How do I find out what port is a tendered port?

 

Sorry so many questions!!

 

Thanks for the help!!

 

Belize and Grand Cayman are tender ports. The other the ship will dock.

[judyf]

Do your research and decide. Belize is a good port to book a ship tour. Sme of the ship tours seem high and some are about the same as private operators.

[jep]

I was on the Valor last week with the same itinerary.

 

In Belize, the ship anchors very very far from shore, so if you are taking a snorkel trip bought through Carnival, they will pick you up at the ship directly. It saves a lot of time and hassle, and I thought it was worth it.

 

In Grand Cayman, tendering is a headache, and those with Carnival excursions were allowed to go first, but with so many other options of local operators for what you might want to do, I'd suggest booking independently. There is lots of discussion about local operators on the Grand Cayman board.

[blake_]

What about Carnival excusions for eastern caribbean valor (Nassau, St.thomas, st.martin)? Worth booking thru Carnival, or should I look elsewhere? If elsewhere, any suggestions for these ports?

 

Thanks

[kaj2870]

What about Carnival excusions for eastern caribbean valor (Nassau, St.thomas, st.martin)? Worth booking thru Carnival, or should I look elsewhere? If elsewhere, any suggestions for these ports?

 

Thanks

 

In 2002, my husband and I went to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau. We rented a scooter in St. Maarten and Nassau, the islands were very easy to get around. On Christmas 2004, we were in Nassau again and chose a tour guide for 2 1/2 hours to see the landmarks of the island and to stop at Atlantis Resort.

If you have any more question, e-mail at kanissaj@yahoo.com

[judyf]

In ST. Thomas Godfrey tour for $20.00 pp well worth it!

[MoKin]

Thank you for all of the tips. I have read the boards in both Belize and Cayman but they all give tips about finding your own guide. I appreciate the ideas about Belize and booking it through the ship.

 

 

Thanks!!

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

It really depends on what you want to do. If you are going to say, a beach that is a short taxi ride away..then go it on your own. If you are going on a tour that takes you far from the ship what lots of room for disaster, like a boat or car engine breakdown or bad traffic or something, I would say book it with the ship. I like that the ship will wait for us if it is a tour that is far from our ship, and something happens.

 

We are sailing on the Miracle..so our ports are Belize, Costa Maya, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya and Cozumel. We booked a private tour in GC because it is a more extensive tour for less money AND the company we booked has lots of great reviews on the ports of call board.

 

In Belize we are going to Goff's Caye. I just couldn't seem to pin down a private operater with decent reviews for this place. I was also concerned about the distance away from the ship so I DID book a ship tour here, plus my 2 yo is free.

 

The other 2 ports we are going it on our own. I guess to me splurging on 1 ship tour is okay..but some of them are OUTRAGEOUS!

 

I guess it all depends on what you are wanting to do!:)

[JrMafia90]

I always book my excursions through Carnival. It saves me a lot of time and I know the ship will not leave with out me. And if I have a problem I can complain to somebody. Money is not really an issue. You only live once and why not spend the extra $$$. I meen we all can't be poor if were going on cruises.

[kiberkid]

I used to think that we would always book our excursions privately, but last Nov on the Legend, we booked thru the ship. I was sure glad we did because in Costa Rica we did not get back to the ship until 6:55pm & the ship was set to sail @ 7:00 pm. Had we been on a private excursion, I would have been very worried. For the extra few $$ I am glad we booked thru the ship.

 

You just never know what can happen. Although when we were in Grand Cayman (on a previous cruise), we booked the sting ray excursion thru a private company & in Belize we did cave tubing thru a private company as well & they had us back to the dock in plenty of time.

 

I guess you just need to go with your comfort level.

[etwildcat]

If you are going to Grand Caymen and you like snorkling try Capt Marvins.

We usually rent a car in Cozumel it only takes two hours to drive the island and that is with stops. It is AWSOME.Cheap Cheap shopping on the side of the road.

The ship's excursions are way to crowded. We just like to book private in the mornings work our way back toward the boat mid afternoon that way we dont cut it to close.

[halos]

I don't have as many cruises under my belt as most here (only3) but two out of three cruises we booked excursions through Carnival...the first, when we were young, broke and daring, we did on our own.

Now, we're older and still broke (college tuition ya know :eek: ) but we book through Carnival and have never felt like it wasn't worth what we paid.

On our last cruise, the tour was late getting back and they pulled away from dock as the last of us got on the ship. It was comforting knowing that they were waiting for the 10 of us. That to me, is worth a couple extra $$$

[Sharon Temple]

Only thing I don't like about tours is that you're on their time schedule. If you are ready to leave, you can't till the whole group does. So we don't book tours, just go on our own. Always head back plenty early.

[MoKin]

Does tendering really take all that long? I've been reading about some people waiting for over two hours to get to their 'non Carnival' excursion because of the lines.

[Kathy555]

In Grand Cayman we took a cab (actually a mini bus) for $4.00 pp to Sea Grape Beach. It was only about a 10 minute ride. The mini-buses are waiting there all the time to take passengers back to the ship. We had plenty of time. Sea Grape was very clean - had restrooms, snack bar and a bar. Chair rental was $10.00 pp and included a soft drink. In Cozumel we also took a short taxi ride to Paradise Beach. In Belize we did book with the ship and as it turned out we were delayed getting back on time but the ship did wait. I woudl highly recommend an excurision for this island through Carnival. Have a great time. :D

[mimii]

I returned Jan 2nd from Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel on the Conquest. The Valor was in port with us at both Grand Cayman and Cozumel. (By the way, we had a very nice cruise on the Conquest, and the staff was excited to see the Valor, commenting that it has the same plan as the Conquest, but is newer and with a different decor).

 

We used tenders in Grand Cayman, where all ship-sponsored Sting Ray excursions were cancelled due to unsafe water condition. No other excursions were cancelled, but the ship basically told us "Your tour is cancelled, all other tours are full, have a nice day!" We left the ship about 9am, and we had NO trouble whatsoever leaving on the tender. They do give priority to those with ship excursions that are early in the morning, but there weren't any, because ours was cancelled. There were lots of people on the pier trying to sell excursions, including ones to the sting rays! I was wary of them, and we walked to Captain Marvin's, about two blocks from the pier (the street to the left). I had read about them, reviewed their website, and I knew they would tell if the water was safe: it was not. Their tour (also cancelled) was considerably less expensive than the Carnival tour, and they also had other tours. We were able to walk into their super clean office and get on a tour to the Turtle farm and the town of Hell, and both were very interesting. Best of all, the driver spent the whole trip talking to us about the features of the island and explaining about the effects of the hurricane. We had plenty of time for shopping when we returned, but still went back to the ship very early, before 1pm. We were admonished to be on board by 3pm, and so to get in line to tender by 2:30. Well those who returned that late told me that the pier was total chaos. I watched tenders coming as late as 4pm, well after our sail time. We left port very late, and I was so glad we had returned early. So yes, the tenders can become problematic, especially if there are other ships in port (there ALWAYS were several on our cruise).

 

In Cozumel, the ship docks right at the pier. We had chosen the dolphin encounter (by the way, we chose our excursions based on reviews we read here and on other boards). We used the ship tour in order to avoid problems, but in this instance, it was very difficult, and very, very expensive ($99). We were to meet on the pier at 10:30 am, and we wanted to leave the ship about 9:15. There was an announcement that the Valor would arrive in 5 minutes, and all those wanting to leave the ship now must go immediately, or wait 15 minutes for the Valor to dock. Well, we were third in line when the Valor pulled up, so we had to wait the 15 minutes standing on the gangway. Then we were allowed out onto the dock, where we waited about a half hour while the Valor was tied down. By the time they let us into Cozumel, there must have been 300 people in a mass on that pier!! We met our tour guide immediately, and she had us wait while she got the group together. By the time the group was all together, about an hour had passed just waiting here and waiting there. She told us we would take taxis to the Dolphin encounter! So then we had to do that, it was paid for of course, but it was like "operation ant" ... all one at a time. As we waited for taxis we saw all the people who had taken other options leaving in buses, in dune buggies, etc. When the last taxi arrived at Chakanaab(much more waiting), we finally entered the park. Then we waited for her to tell us what we needed to do. Then she took us down to the dolphins, where we waited out on the landing about another 20 minutes. The dolphin encounter was worth it, but it was too much waiting. Unbelievably, she told us to return for our taxi to the ship by 12:30, but we were still in the water with the dolphins at 12:45! There was an option to return at 1:30 also, and she would even give you a voucher to return later if you wanted. My point is that we spent well over two hours just waiting here and waiting there. I didn't find out the cost of going on your own, but if I were to do it again, I would NOT book through the ship. This place is within eyesight of the ship (although NOT walking distance). It is also a nature preserve with beautiful gardens and a lagoon, restaurant, snorkeling. We had intended to do the dolphins, then spend a few hours lounging around and snorkeling. We were fortunate to eat lunch there and that was it. Also, the gift shop that sells the photos is so inefficient it took at least 30 minutes to buy the photos. They only wait on one customer at a time, then you have to go pay, then go back to the counter and pick up your photo. I wanted to shop and look around first: it would have been much better to buy our photos (and videos) first. I'm not trying to be critical, I have grown up with Mexican culture, speak Spanish at home and even vacationed a week in Cozumel years ago. I'm describing this so that if you choose this excursion, you can plan better.

 

Ship excursions are over-priced in my mind, yet I always book at least one. I've done things independently in different ports as well. If you're taking one that is several hours long and far from the ship, you cannot overlook the advantage that booking through the ship gives you so that you don't miss the ship. If you're doing something close by or so common (like spending half a day at a beach), you can probably do better on your own. Your experience in foreign countries and your family make-up ( if you have little ones) should also influence your decision to choose to go off independently.

 

If you choose to book through the ship, I cannot stress enough how important it is to book as soon as you are sure you want that excursion. When we were checking in, they had brochures available that told the prices and the times for all the excursions, so we booked ours from our TV as soon as we boarded the ship. If they cancel your excursion, they immediately reimburse your account.

 

The best piece of advice I can give you regarding excursions is to have a back-up plan. I read a lot of reviews before our cruise (which was our 2nd cruise and I'm used to traveling a lot, and making lots of itinerary decisions when I travel), but even so, I was not prepared for how the weather affected my choices on Jamaica nor on Grand Cayman. In Jamaica, the beach resort I wanted to go to was full, but although I had brought info of other options for Jamaica, once I made my choice I didn't even think to bring it along when I got off the ship. I had to rely on references at the pier, which turned out to be the second choice from my own research, but I wish I could have had my own info.

 

Then, when we got to Grand Cayman and the Sting Rays were cancelled, I again left my info on the ship. I thought there would be help on the pier like in Jamaica, but what I saw did not seem reliable to me. I even had the map to Capt Marvin's on the ship!!!! So if I do this again, I will bring along additonal information, in case my first choice options, whether by the ship or independent, are not available.

 

I think you may not have these problems because you are sailing in May, but a little forethought would have been helpful to me. In any event, we had a good time.

 

Happy Sailing to you!

[Laurab23]

One word of caution,if you book the ships excursion make sure you really want to do it. They really will charge you a cancellation fee if you change your mind,no matter what reason you give them.

Laura

[MoKin]

Thanks for all of the help mimii and others. I think we will just book our own excursions besides a trip to the Mayan ruins in Belize, since it will be a long trip.

 

 

I don't know what I would have done without these boards!! :D

[S.S.Oceanlover]

What about Carnival excusions for eastern caribbean valor (Nassau, St.thomas, st.martin)? Worth booking thru Carnival, or should I look elsewhere? If elsewhere, any suggestions for these ports?

 

Thanks

Blake, you dock at all 3 of those ports and I wouldn't book with the ships excursions for St.Thomas or St.Maarten. It's much cheaper to do these islands on your own unless they are offering something you couldn't book independently.

Nassau I usually stay on the ship so can't comment there.

 

Bill

[MyDusty]

My first cruise was the only one where I book ship-sponsored tours. I didn't know any better.

 

On my last 3 cruises we booked all tours from private operators or just went into the town to sightsee and shop. My last cruise (Miracle 12/12/04) we went to Belize and Grand Cayman. On the morning of these ports we just went to the tender spot and showed them the printed out e-mail confirmations from our tour operators and they let us on the early tenders, no problems. F.Y.I.... Belize we booked with X-treme and it was wonderful!!!! Grand Cayman we booked with Soto's, also wonderful. I would never book a ship's tour again!! Thanks to all the info from this site, I am very confident in my choices for tours!! Thanks everyone.

[MyDusty]

My first cruise was the only one where I book ship-sponsored tours. I didn't know any better.

 

On my last 3 cruises we booked all tours from private operators or just went into the town to sightsee and shop. Not only did we save money, but our groups were smaller than the ship sponsored groups. My last cruise (Miracle 12/12/04) we went to Belize and Grand Cayman. On the morning of these ports we just went to the tender spot and showed them the printed out e-mail confirmations from our tour operators and they let us on the early tenders, no problems. F.Y.I.... Belize we booked with X-treme and it was wonderful!!!! Grand Cayman we booked with Soto's, also wonderful. I would never book a ship's tour again!! Thanks to all the info from this site, I am very confident in my choices for tours!! Thanks everyone.

[cali-croozer]

Does tendering really take all that long? I've been reading about some people waiting for over two hours to get to their 'non Carnival' excursion because of the lines.

 

If you absolutely feel you have to be one of the first off the ship, you will encounter lines........whether you're in the front or back will depend on if you're on a ship sponsored tour that is being escorted from their meeting place to the tenders or if you are able to get in line for your non-ship sponsored excursion. There seems to be different rules all the time.

 

If you have the time, use the first 45 minutes to an hour of tendering to get ready and eat breakfast. By then, you should be able to walk onto a tender without a wait. I'd rather be relaxing and getting ready than waiting in a line. No stress in the morning please!:)

 

We did encounter a long line in Grand Cayman getting back to the ship, but there's nothing you can do about that. And, although it was long, it did go faster that we thought it would. However, there was no shade while waiting so, if you see a line, grab a water or drink on the way over.

[MoKin]

That makes it sound better. I don't mind waiting in line as long as EVERYONE isn't complaining. :(

[judyf]

We've have met some good cruise buddies in line. One couple we met on our last cruise in line every time we saw each other during the cruise we called each other "boarding buddies". I'm so excited to be getting on a cruise that I even make the waiting in line fun!