Booking Excursions throught trip or private?

[CRUISEN4ALIVIN]

Hi,

 

I'm traveling the Valor for the first time, can you tell me if i should Book the excusions through Carnival or privately? any thoughts? Our stops are Belize, Roatan Island, Grand Caymon, and Cozumel? Anyody have any suggestions? what about spas on those islands? thx

[Ellya]

Some factors I consider are the length of time you will be in port vs. the length of the excursion. I would be too stressed out about "missing the boat" on an excursion cutting it to the last minute if it were booked privately. For example, the excursions to visit the ruins out of Cozumel take the entire day and could easily get scary timewise. On the other hand, if you are heading off to the beach, there is no reason to book a shore excursion since there are tons of taxis all over that will get you back and forth very easily. I would also factor in the overall political/travel safety of the country involved. Personally I would be a little nervous in Belize or Honduras if I had to arrange to travel home from there. Grand Cayman and Cozumel, not so much. On our next cruise I am planning to do a private excursion in Grand Cayman, taxi on our own in Cozumel and Costa Maya, and do a ship's excursion in Belize.

[sea_u_onboard]

The previous poster is giving you great advice. GC and Cozumel are pretty easy to book on your own - unless ou do the ruins - then book through the cruiseline.

[Wennfred]

As a First time Cruiser I would definitely book with Carnival, make sure you book now online because those excursions book fast and will sometime be sold out before you get onboard, booking with Carnival means they will wait till you get back if youre late from the excursion and the ship is about to sail, they will wait or they pay to fly ya to the next port. These Excusions have communication with the ship at all time and know where everyone is at.

 

ALSO Always take the Caper Paper you get every night with you, there are Emergency numbers and contacts there incase you get lost or will be late returning to the ship.

 

Now as you get more experience and travelled to the same places, then I would concidered going with a group from the ship, renting out a cab with a van is alot cheaper then going with Carnival, just make sure the Cab driver knows to be back at a specific time and also negotiate the rate then before leaving, example would be a van that holds 6 to 8 people, $5.00 each, then you can tip more later. if youre alone with your wife, a Cab will take you around like I did in Jamaca for 20.00 for both, saved alot there, but could be dangerous too.

 

Good Luck, hope this helps

 

Wennfred San Diego Ca.:)

[addicted to cruising]

First of all this is a great site to explore for ideas. Go into ports of call and you will get oodles of info. Im middle of the road with my advise. Ive been on 5 cruises and have yet to book a shore excursion with the ship. You have to figure out a few things..Are you adventurous, are you on a budget, what are your expectations of your trip etc. If you are on a budget, shore excursions are expensive. Maybe you have never even snorkeled and just doing that will make the trip for you. I too will be doing your iteneray on May 1st.

 

Belize: Is a jungle and a tour will be the best way to see the island. There is no real town to stroll or shop and the local areas are on the dangerous side.

This is where you should plan some type of excursion. Caving is by far rated #1 and there are 3 companys that hundreds of cruise critic members have used and all made it back to the boat and paid 1/2 price in comparison to the boat.

Honduras: Again a 3rd world country. I hear the West end is the place. Shopping/Snorkeling. You can most likely take a cab.

 

GrandCayman: Very friendly, shopping is in the general area of where you get off the tender. The beach is right there. Many of the hotels will allow cruise guests to use there outdoor areas ASK! From the tender if you or right down the road alittle there is a public beach area (At least it was there before the hurricane) and snorkeling is good. There are also many cheaper tours to Stingray City than what the cruisehip offers. Rent a scooter and put around.

 

Cozumel: The possibilities are endless. Shop, beach, rent a jeep. The island isnt that large and its safe and easy to drive.

 

Always stay on ship time and make sure you know how that converts into local time. The private tour companies rely on us to make a living. Stay with the well known ones and you will be fine. Be smart about giving yourself enough time. It is not at all uncommon to be on a private tour and the cruiship tour is right next to you. Recently in St.John we went to TrunkBay. We had the beach to ourselves 2hrs before and 2hrs after the cruiseship snorkeling tour. We paid 1/2 of what it would cost and did the same stuff and stayed 4hrs longer. Research where you are going, get maps, and stay in populated areas. Dont stress you are about to have a fantastic trip!

[NYCchic]

I just got back from my 2nd cruise yesterday. Was on RCCL's Enchantment. Was on a Carnival cruise 6 yrs ago. MY first cruise we booked all excursions thru the ship - all I remember is how expensive they were!

 

For this cruise we stopped in Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman. We booked our own excursions in both ports. I recommend Sotos Cruises in Grand Cayman. We did a snorkel and stingray city tour with them for only US$30 a person. A van picks you up at the dock and takes you to the boat. It's about a 2 hour trip and was a lot of fun. We then went to a beach on Seven Mile Beach for the rest of the day. Made it back to the ship in plenty of time - just took a taxi back when we were done at the beach. Here is Soto's website:

 

http://www.sotoscruises.com/

 

What I liked about booking my own tours was that they were smaller groups. The cruise line excursions are usually very large groups of people. I liked this better.

[motherchic]

My first cruise -did ship tours they were fine. after that i found cruise critic-READ ALLOT. DID MY RESEARCH. Read tons of reviews. Did all private tours-they were FABULOUS!!.

By the time i read all the reviews i knew just what to expect.

enjoy your tours ! when you do your cruise come back -give a review, go to the individual island threads and review what you did

[rcsort]

Short answer - Book Your Own!!! Much, Much, cheaper. I would suggest you visit the ports of call boards for each island you will be visiting. There will be much information on various tour companies.

[rebeljohn]

We always book our own tours, or do the islands in a cab.

Research your stops, as others have suggested, and have a great time touring the islands at YOUR pace, not someone else's.

[karenh1127]

Well I booked thru Carnival and boy was I glad!! Our cruise turned into a cruise to nowhere and we never made it to any ports! The shore excursion desk credited the $$ back to our cc immediately. Those that booked on their own were really upset because there was no way to contact the tour companies or get refunds. I might have spent more money but I dont mind paying for the peace of mind.

[rcsort]

Well I booked thru Carnival and boy was I glad!! Our cruise turned into a cruise to nowhere and we never made it to any ports! The shore excursion desk credited the $$ back to our cc immediately. Those that booked on their own were really upset because there was no way to contact the tour companies or get refunds. I might have spent more money but I dont mind paying for the peace of mind.

 

If you do not make it to port the reputable tour companys will refund your payment. This will be spelled out in your confirmation. In addition many do not charge you until you arive in port. If you don't arrive you don't pay. Check out the ports of call section for each stop. I have even been refunded for oversleeping and missing my excursion.