Excursion Planning--Save $ planning your own?

[Traveler210211]

I am just curious to know if it is smarter to arrange various excursions without using Carnival?

 

I imagine carnival gets a piece of every excursion and if I can eliminate the middleman can I save money?

 

and do the various companies generally accept credit cards?

[World Gallery]

From our personally experience, we have saved a lot planning things on our own. Also, it seems that the excursions through the ship keep going up. We have not taken a ship excursion in many years. It varies from activity to activity but for the most part, you pay about double when you book with the ship. When you factor in the freedom you have on your own and the time not waiting around for a large group, the savings may be more. Last cruise, as we exited the ship, we saw lines and lines of people waiting around, just waiting to board their bus. As we walked pass them, we vowed to remember those masses of people standing in the hot sun, just waiting, not to mention the time it will take to get all of them to board the bus.

On another note, there may be times that doing something on your own, but with a private tour guide, may actually cost more, depending on your group size. We have had a few private day tours that were well worth it.

Again, it is all about what you are looking for. Not being herded around in large groups is worth everything to us!

One other thing to think about is the distance to the tour site. If you need to travel a long distance, it may be worth it to do the ship excursion. If you are on the ship's excursion, you can't be left in port.

[World Gallery]

About credit cards - It all depends on the company. Some take them but charge you extra (about 4 to 5%) since they are charged to use the card. If you book with a company based in the states, like shoretrips.com, you can use your card when you book online. If you are using a small, local company, they usually prefer cash upon arrival. Sometimes we had to pay the deposit by credit card and cash for the balance. It all just depends and it varies.

[cruisin'tex]

Cozumel is safe and an easy place to arrange your own excursions. We've been going there since the 80s.....and done the gamut from island tours to bars, snorkeling, lazing on the beach, ruins, and just shopping.

[Puffinater]

Definately a money saver doing your own. Be sure to do as much research about the company as you can. Most are very good but there are some that are not.

[goldesq]

About credit cards - It all depends on the company. Some take them but charge you extra (about 4 to 5%) since they are charged to use the card. If you book with a company based in the states, like shoretrips.com, you can use your card when you book online. If you are using a small, local company, they usually prefer cash upon arrival. Sometimes we had to pay the deposit by credit card and cash for the balance. It all just depends and it varies.

 

Have you used shoretrips.com? if so, what was your experiences with them?

[World Gallery]

Just returned from a cruise on Carnival and thought I would post how much we saved on one particular excursion. I was shocked at the difference! We are planning to go back with our children in November and doing this excursion on our own will save us $500! It is a tour to Punta Sur called "Beach Buggy and Snorkel at Punta Sur", cost is $95.99. It costs $100 for a taxi van to take people 6 to 8 people and stay there and wait for you for about 4 hours. It cost $10 per person to get into the park and do all that the tour does (climb to the top of the lighthouse, snorkel, climb the towers to see the lagoon with crocodiles, see the small Mayan ruins - all of this is in the park for the $10). For our family of 7 it will cost us $170 as opposed to $671! I understand that they need to make money but this is extreme in my opinion.

One other note, you are getting the Beach buggy with Carnival, which in my opinion isn't that great and doesn't look comfortable. YOu are riding it on the same rode that the taxis have to use to get there.

Also, about Punta Sur, it was beauitful! We have been to Cozumel many times but have never been here. Glad we found it.