Port Excursions

[yankin]

Are the port excursions sold direct from Carnival good value for money? I have been looking at there prices and they seem a bit steep. I know they include transfers to and from the excursions but with a family of four this is going to get expensive. My family and I have traveled around Europe quite alot so are not averse to independent travel. Just thought I would ask you fine Carnival folks your opinion.

[cb at sea]

Do some research before you start booking ship excursions...many things are easy enough to do on your own, and even if you NEED a guide, private companies can save you money!

Get a guidebook on your ports, find out what is avail. in each country, and go from there! If you decide to book through the ship, you will have a good time, but you're right---they're pricey!

[*Mach*]

You certainly can book similar or, occasionally, exactly the same excursion for less money so if cost is a big issue booking it yourself makes a ton of sense.

Many people find that the increased price of the excursion is offset by the comfort in knowing that should your group be late returning to the pier that the ship will likely wait for you, not so if you book yourself.

Additionally, if you happen to miss a port Carnival will credit you immediately for the price whereas you'll be left to deal with the tour operator if you've booked separately.

:)

[kl25th]

Personally I prefer to do independent vs carnival...the price is better, not as crowded. The only port in three cruises that we have had a Carnival placed excursion is in Jamacia. We just read on here that it was not a very safe port, so we did the ship excursion. Enjoy your cruise and be prepared to become addicted...you will get off the ship wanting to plan another one...have fun. We leave this Sunday and this week is going by so slow...LOL

[kwbound]

We have never booked an excursion through the cruise lines and have never had any problems. However, if we were going to do something that involved a fair amount of travel from the port (i.e. the Tulum ruins from Cozumel), or if we were in Jamaica again, I would book through the cruise line.

[combatboots2jimmychoos]

When we were booking our first cruise a few months ago (sailed last week), we were looking at the prices as well. After looking at descriptions of each port and excursions available, we also looked at what each excursion included. Some include lunch, some don't. Some require extensive travel (like the Mayan ruins excursion from Cozumel that takes you to the mainland. Some last 2 hrs while others last a lot longer. We booked 2 excursions ( I talked about the Bacab Eco Park Horseback riding excursion in a previous post). In the Horseback Riding excursion we rode the horses on a trail for about an hour, then they took us to the restaurant where they were serving us lunch, after we finished lunch they had a magnificent pool (huge) with a hidden slide and lounges all around for us to use for 2 hrs. We got rounded up and took the bus back to the port which was a half hour tour each way and they actually talked about the culture and scenery along the way. Now, from seeing horseback riding prices on local sites they ranged from $50-70 per adult. Carnival was about 100 if I recall- but they included lunch, transportation, and 2 hours of pool use so I thought it was very reasonable if looked at objectively compared to if we had taken our own excursion and then found some place for lunch or had to fetch taxis and then find a public beach. I thought it was planned out very nicely and enjoyed not having to worry about any aspect of the excursion.

 

Our second excursion was ATV riding in Cozumel. I was actually suprised by this one. We were picked up at the pier, driven to the destination (again about 1/2 hr bus ride) and instructed on how to operate the ATV's. I thought this would be like a previous atv tour I took on my own on a previous vacation which was just on a nice calm trail and part rode..............We rode the ATV's for about 1 hr 45 min with just 2 5 min breaks through very rocky and muddy terrain to the point where I would say this was EXTREME ATV'ing- and not for the faint of heart. We were in 5th gear for a lot of this trip. They provided water. For the 100 a person we paid- we both thought it was well worth it as it was a thrill the entire way......

 

Now for a family- I probably wouldn't spend 100 a person unless I could afford to do so and it was something everyone could and wanted to do.

 

There were several excursions I wouldn't pay the price for- such as a dolphin encounter that only lasted about 1/2 hr but that is me and I'm not fascinated with dolphins.

 

I think a lot of your choices will depend on the ages of the children as some they have to be 16+ or 18+ such as on the ATV tour.

[klfrodo]

I'm not adverse to booking excursions independantly.

Usually, it just depends on the port and am I comfortable.

 

Do your research, go to the cruisecritic "Ports of Call" board and enjoy

[gometros]

Am I reading the website correctly? I took a look at the excursions for my cruise and it's like shopping online - you put your choices in your 'cart' and checkout. So, does that mean I have to pre-pay for the excursions? I've never heard of that and never had to do it on any of the other cruiselines we've been on. In those cases, the excursions were charged to our room, which came in handy when using OBC.

[Maraprince]

A lot will depend on what is being offered by the ship that can also be purchased from a private operator at a much lower cost.

 

Plus, the private operators only ask that you reserve the tour using a credit card that is NOT charged until the day of the tour while the cruise line will charge your credit card as soon as you book. If you change your mind, you have to cancel with the cruise line within the cancellation period or else lose your money.

 

MARAPRINCE

[hvyhttr]

GOMETROS,

 

If you book them before the cruise, you will have to pay for them at time of booking. If you wait until you are on the ship to reserve them, they will be added to your cabin account. BUT, if you wait, the excursions that you want to do may not be available when you get on the ship. Some of the propular ones sell out soon after they are offered online.

[michelle1836]

we booked through Carnival for our first cruise mainly because it was our first and we paid for the peace of mind. (we booked in advanced and paid in advance just to keep the sign and sail card to a minimum) However, for our next cruise we are looking to book with an independent dealer in costa rica. and I believe we dont have to pay anything until after the tour

[CruzVinnieCruz]

We book most tours independently. The cost savings can be significant. We also like the fact that most independent tour operators will customize the tour to fit your wishes or offer a selection of options. We have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time and for the most part the tours were excellent. Just do your homework on the "ports of call" section. This way you can have recommendations from past cruisers on what they liked or disliked with a particular independent operator. Good luck!!!!

[A&Jfamily]

I'm not adverse to booking excursions independantly.

Usually, it just depends on the port and am I comfortable.

 

Do your research, go to the cruisecritic "Ports of Call" board and enjoy

 

 

Totally agree...it is a cost benefit analysis. It depends on where I am stopping, and how much the difference is between the cruise line and the private. Take Nassau and Blackbeards for example. I thought about booking privately, and though scubbagirl said it could be done, it took days to get a response. It was only like $7 to book (total) through the cruise line. In that case, $7 is worth my piece of mind. Now St. Thomas or St. Martin, I would book independently in a hearbeat - Jamaica, no way!

[gometros]

GOMETROS,

 

If you book them before the cruise, you will have to pay for them at time of booking. If you wait until you are on the ship to reserve them, they will be added to your cabin account. BUT, if you wait, the excursions that you want to do may not be available when you get on the ship. Some of the propular ones sell out soon after they are offered online.

 

Thanks, that's what I figured. Wonder why they do it that way. Not sure I'm happy about paying for an excursion so far in advance of it being used, but for the one I want to do, I may have no choice since I'm sure it's a popular one.

 

As far as excursions thru the cruiseline or independently, for me it depends. If it is a long excursion that might end close to final boarding, I feel more secure knowing that the cruiseline will wait for me if I booked with them. On a cruise we just took, a bus broke down and got to the ship an hour after it wa supposed to depart. They waited, since it was a cruiseline excursion. If I'm going to a beach or somewhere fairly near the port, I'd probably do it on my own.