getting off for shore excursions

[forthe3boys]

I will be cruising for the first time on Liberty of the Seas in March. I've made arrangements for shore excursions at each of our stops. I did not book them thru the cruiseline. We are to dock/tender at 7 AM in Belize and Cozumel and I need to be at the locations for the excursions by 8 AM. Will I be able to get off the boat in time? Any tips in getting off in a timely manner.

 

Thanks,

Amy

[Gonzo70]

I will be cruising for the first time on Liberty of the Seas in March. I've made arrangements for shore excursions at each of our stops. I did not book them thru the cruiseline. We are to dock/tender at 7 AM in Belize and Cozumel and I need to be at the locations for the excursions by 8 AM. Will I be able to get off the boat in time? Any tips in getting off in a timely manner.

 

Thanks,

Amy

 

It is hard to say, there are a number of factors:

 

*The arrival times are scheduled arrival times, sometimes the ship is early, sometimes late.

*Once the ship arrives it needs to receive clearance from local authorities before anybody may leave, sometimes this is slow, sometimes not.

*Sometimes the ship and port are on different times; if the ship arrives at 7:00am ship time, it may actually be 6:00am or 8:00am local time.

*If the ship tenders, it is slower to get off. The ship will reserve the first couple of tenders for those with excursions booked through the ship, those in suites, and those with high status in the loyalty program. You may have to wait for the 3rd tender or so to get off.

 

Private excursion can offer a better experience for a cheaper price, but it is imperative to book with a company used to serving cruise ship passengers. They will know when you will likely be able to arrive and will wait for you within reason. The Port of Call board on Cruise Critic is a good place to research private excursion companies. If the company itself cannot inform you if you are likely to make it in time for the excursion, they likely are not experienced dealing with cruise ship passengers and may not be a good option.

[mikeblum]

Gonzo I THINK YOU PRETTY MUCH ANSWERED THAT QUESTION right on Target...but i think the 2 most importannt factors that need to be considered are when will the ship be cleared to get off...and if the ship's time is different from the Land time...and that does happen...that is why they will alway tell you do not pay attention to what the time is at the port of call...pay attention to the ships time...and they will beat that to death at every port of call...THEY DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE ANYONE BEHIND...

[cb at sea]

Your tour guide understands how these things work...they will wait a reasonable amount of time...so no need to "push and shove" to get off the ship. At docked ports...everyone just walks off when they're ready...it's the "tender" ports that you may have a slight delay. Just get in line, and go when they let you. It's really not a big deal.

[Darkwolfe]

I will be cruising for the first time on Liberty of the Seas in March. I've made arrangements for shore excursions at each of our stops. I did not book them thru the cruiseline. We are to dock/tender at 7 AM in Belize and Cozumel and I need to be at the locations for the excursions by 8 AM. Will I be able to get off the boat in time? Any tips in getting off in a timely manner.

 

Thanks,

Amy

 

Amy, who did you book with in Belize? Having been there I can tell you what to look for depending on who you are touring with.

 

Cozumel is easy. Walk off the ship and through the port shopping place. Say "No" a few times to folks trying to sell you a tour right then and look for someone holding a sign for your tour.

[ehfl]

Remember that Belize is tendered, and it's a long ride. It will be cutting it close, so make sure you are on the first tender, and be sure to let the excursion company know that you are arriving on the ship. They should wait.

[forthe3boys]

Thanks for your input. We are going cave tubing with Vitalino Reyes of www.cavingtubing.bz. Their website indicates they work with cruise lines and the reservation asked which cruise we were on. In Cozumel, we are going fishing in the AM with Cozumel Charters and have to meet them at the marina at 8 AM. They also wanted to know which cruise we were on.

 

Thanks,

Amy

[Darkwolfe]

Thanks for your input. We are going cave tubing with Vitalino Reyes of www.cavingtubing.bz. Their website indicates they work with cruise lines and the reservation asked which cruise we were on. In Cozumel, we are going fishing in the AM with Cozumel Charters and have to meet them at the marina at 8 AM. They also wanted to know which cruise we were on.

 

Thanks,

Amy

 

Oo.. Amy, whatever you do, don't let that guy con you into shouting in the caves. They were doing that when I was there and it was disruptive to other guests and is actually dangerous in the caves. However, they'll have a sign right as you get off the tender and a fairly large crowd. (Probably shouting "Cave Tubing dot com" again, though I would hope they've stopped that.)

 

Personal opinion (no flames please, this is to help and based on my experience), I much preferred Major Tom over Reyes after reading a number of reviews and then seeing both in action in the caves. Tom held us back until the other guys cleared the caves and were no longer shouting in there. We had a whopping 7 people in the group with Tom and another guide along. They were very mindful of safety and we got back after the caves and lunch with plenty of time to return to our ship.

 

Perhaps compare? For some reason, some sites get *****'d out around here. Why one and not another, I'll never know. Can't give you the link. Look up Major Tom Belize on Google and you'll find him quick.

 

The Cozumel tour should be great. They'll be waiting for you at the dock with a sign. I wanted to go on that one myself last time I was there, but my company wasn't much for fishing. (Darn it) Several folks I ran across later on board loved it.

 

Whatever your choices, have a wonderful cruise!