Tours not ship sponsored?

[CantWait08]

After reading review after review of independent tours, we are thinking of booking some. Still not at ease about it. Have I been brainwashed by the cruise lines?

[chuckwagon52]

not brain washed.... The biggest thing is this,if you book outside the cruise line and something happens to delay you, the ship will NOT wait for you. Its free choice if you are willing to take that risk. Have a great cruise.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Places we've never been to before, we always book through the ship. Even though something may sound a lot cheaper than through the ship, if you do have a problem it WILL cost you a lot more in the end if you miss the ship!

[lds26]

I have booked independent excursions and ship excursions but have only gone with the ones that have been recommended here on CC. I also make sure that I have at least one hour prior to time to be back onboard. I definately dont wanna miss the ship!!!

[cherbear4000]

I use both ship and independent tours. It really just depends on where we are and what we are doing. With the independent tours, I only use ones that have been recommended on CC or have excellent reviews on Trip Advisor.

[golfadj]

We almost always do independent tours as they are cheaper, less crowded and better.

 

Check our tour companies in port of call and make sure they are scheduuled to be back well before sail time and you will be fine.

 

Only exception for us is tour that is far from the port.

[buddylover]

We have booked both, but by far, we book mostly independent tours. The only times we don't is when we are concerned about the area (i.e., La Romana in the Dominican Republic was a new port, so independent tours were "untried"). The reason we book independent whenever we can is two fold: 1. Cost - it is about half of what the ship will charge to see double the amount of sites 2. The groups are smaller generally than the large tour buses used by the cruise lines, so the tours are more flexible and personal.

We have never had an issue, nor even come close to missing the ship using outside vendors. We do research extensively before booking. Our tours have always met or exceeded our expectations when we book on our own whereas we have mostly been disappointed in ship tours (felt we overpaid for very mediocre tours).

[megmno]

I generally like independent tours because I hate the "herding" experience of ship sponsored tours. I prefer small groups rather than huge tour buses. Saving money is secondary.

 

However I agree with everyone above about only using ship sponsored tours if there is a great distance involved (e.g. the ruins of Tulum from Cozumel).

[jobell]

Research the heck out of the independent operators. We have always used private vendors and have always been back to the port with plenty of time to stroll through the shops and get on the ship.

 

You have to realize that tour operators thrive on the business of cruise ship passengers, their reviews and us telling our friends to use them when visiting their island/country. Most operators will do everything they can to get you to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Granted, they can't control what other drivers do/traffic congestion, etc but the last thing they want is to have you miss your ship and get a bad review that could potentially harm their business.

 

You will also find that there are vendors who do carry protection insurance that WILL get you to your next port of call if for whatever reason you miss the ship.

 

It's all about research and finding what is going to work best for you.

[hbmom2]

I want to try an independent tour on my next cruise, but my mother (who is going with us) is too paranoid that we'll miss the ship. Looks like no independent tours for us. :p

[Normal 1]

I have done both also and agree that typically independent is the way to go. Most recent (just a few weeks ago), I used Island Marketing for a Montego Bay Horseback Riding tour. While it was okay, was a bit disappointing and I would choose differently next time. Agree that checking for positive reviews here and trip advisor is a must.

 

Also the tip about using ship tours for long and/or far away excusions.

 

The independent providers on the islands rely on positive reviews and word of mouth. They are aware of the various forums on-line and work very hard to deliver a quality product so they have continued business.

 

Make sure you have a watch with you that is set to ship time and make sure your provider is aware of what time you need to be back.

 

Go and enjoy!

[IGGY63]

Thirteen CCL cruises, ONE CCL excursion only.......NEVER missed the ship.

 

Just do your research.

 

Well, almost missed one in Cozumel. No excursion, just had to do with some Corona and not enough cab fare....

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[katiepe]

Research the heck out of the independent operators. We have always used private vendors and have always been back to the port with plenty of time to stroll through the shops and get on the ship.

 

You have to realize that tour operators thrive on the business of cruise ship passengers, their reviews and us telling our friends to use them when visiting their island/country. Most operators will do everything they can to get you to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Granted, they can't control what other drivers do/traffic congestion, etc but the last thing they want is to have you miss your ship and get a bad review that could potentially harm their business.

 

You will also find that there are vendors who do carry protection insurance that WILL get you to your next port of call if for whatever reason you miss the ship.

 

It's all about research and finding what is going to work best for you.

Do you have some names of the vendors that will guarantee your next port? That would be very helpful.

[edmusic]

We go independent as you get a more personal, less crowded tour at 1/3 to 1/2 the price. The independent tour operators always get you back to the ship in plenty of time; their livelihood and reputation depends on it! Do your research on Trip Advisor and you can't go wrong.

 

BTW, that bit about the ship will wait for you with a ship-endorsed excursion = hogwash. The cruise line will arrange your transportation to the next port at their expense, not yours. I almost found this out the hard way on our Alaskan bicycle tour in Skagway. The tour company was late getting us back to the dock and the ship was starting to take the gang plank away when we went running towards it yelling to hang on. I told the dock worker we had a shore excursion and the boat had to wait for us. He shook his head and laughed. There were 14 of us on the excursion and the ship knew we were still out there yet were pulling the gang plank anyway.

 

Don't be brainwashed by the cruise line.

[gtaylor]

 

<snip>

 

You will also find that there are vendors who do carry protection insurance that WILL get you to your next port of call if for whatever reason you miss the ship.

 

It's all about research and finding what is going to work best for you.

 

I would also love to know who/where these vendors are.

 

gary

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

You have to realize that tour operators thrive on the business of cruise ship passengers, their reviews and us telling our friends to use them when visiting their island/country. Most operators will do everything they can to get you to the ship with plenty of time to spare. Granted, they can't control what other drivers do/traffic congestion, etc but the last thing they want is to have you miss your ship and get a bad review that could potentially harm their business.

 

 

I agree with this...the last thing a tour operator wants is a bad review AND cruise passengers staring at them in port because there is no ship in sight.

 

We have never done a ship excursion before, and through research find the best private operators and go with them. I am contemplating a Carnival excursion for our next family cruise, only because we are going to HMC and don't have much option there!

 

I also agree with timing. I would not book a private excursion that cuts the time too close. So far the excursions I've been on have been back in plenty of time and haven't even been close to putting me in panic mode.

 

Go with your gut though...you certainly don't want to book something and then not have a good time because you are worried about it all day.

[maldenmusic]

We've always booked independent tours and never had a problem. Just do research and you should be able to find out how reputable the company is. In some instances the cruise line is also using the same tour guide you have booked your independent tour through but you pay less because you didn't book it through the cruise line.

[pjhootch]

Independent tours are half the price, or less. They are usually much more personal, can be individualized in many cases, and the groups are always smaller.

 

I would not do an independent tour that cut too close to the required ship return time, or go too far from the ship (like leaving cozumel to see the pyramids).

 

We have done ship sponsored tours exactly twice. One time it was a pirates cruise that was very expensive but the kids wanted to go on the ship that was used in Pirates of the Caribbean, AND I had hit a very nice jackpot in the casino. lol. One time we were in Dominca and I just didn't want to do anything but walk around the port, so we sent our 18 year olds off to do a rainforest hike with their 28 year old sister. Under those circumstances, I wasn't sending the kids on an independent tour without us so we booked it through Carnival.

[readytotravel44]

We NEARLY always book independently. If at all possible. The most interesting tour was one we took this summer in Antiqua. The Carnival Cruise folks who booked with the ship were actually ON the tour with us! lol! We paid about 1/3 less, and we were in the same mini bus - on the same exact tour! I started booking independently after being in Croatia with Carnival. We wanted to kayak in the Adriatic Sea in the worst kind of way. The Carnival tour was sold out. I kept checking and checking, but to no avail. We stepped off the ship with nothing to do but walk around and what did we see? The exact same Kayaking vendor soliciting participants. We jumped on the opportunity and spent nearly 50%! Lesson learned.

 

We have never had a problem whatsoever. If though, you do get stuck in some huge traffic jam coming from some ruins or something, just remember, the Carnival excursion which went to the same place is stuck in the exact same traffic. They will hold the ship for them, so the ship will still be there for you:)

 

An answer to your question... yes, maybe you are a little brainwashed. I sure was! Ahhhhh, it is good to be free!

[jobell]

Do you have some names of the vendors that will guarantee your next port? That would be very helpful.

 

I would also love to know who/where these vendors are.

 

gary

 

I don't have a running list of such vendors, however I have come across them while reading and researching. I know one for sure is Alaska Shore Excursions.

 

If I come across others, I'll be sure to update this thread.

[golfadj]

Do you have some names of the vendors that will guarantee your next port? That would be very helpful.

 

Myfriendmario in Panama has such an insurance policy to cover this.

[cherbear4000]

Like I said previously in this post, I use both ship and independent tours. Here is a quick story about the benefits of a ship tour.

 

We took a Carnival sponsored excursion in Cozumel to Isla Pasion. My sister broke her ankle jumping off a water trampoline. It was totally her fault. They had warned everyone before hand not to jump off the trampoline because of the risk of breaking an ankle. They immediately had a private boat take her and her husband to a private hospital in Cozumel. She was given x-rays, cast, medication, and crutches. The people at the excursion stayed in touch with the ship the whole time. The ship stayed in port an extra hour waiting for her to come back from the hospital. They even had a golf cart waiting for her at the end of the pier so she did not have to walk that long pier. Once on board, she was contacted by the infirmary, re-checked by the ships doctor, and given a wheelchair to use for the remainder of the cruise. All at no charge since she was injured on a Carnival sponsored tour.

[peptobysmol]

Mostly independent here, but if it skirts the time to board the ship, I'll book CCL tours.

[stargate fan]

After reading review after review of independent tours, we are thinking of booking some. Still not at ease about it. Have I been brainwashed by the cruise lines?

 

Did I miss reading which ports you are visiting?

 

Out of nine cruises and umpteen ports (27, I think), we have taken only six ship-sponsored excursions. All the rest were independent operators about which I researched on the "ports of call" board as well as "trip advisor". An example is one we took on Cabo back in April 2011. We used Pez Gato for a snorkeling/catamaran tour. There were fewer than 35 of us on board. It was the best excursion we've taken to date.The Carnival snorkeling/catamaran tour had 100+ and was more than three times the money. Another example is Stingray City on Grand Cayman back in 2002. We were four of only 10 passengers on a Captain Marvin tour compared to 60+ on the Carnival tour. (That boat followed us to two of the three snorkeling sites so we could see the mass number of people.) This time the cost for all four of us was less than the cost for two on the ship trip.

 

Only once, on St. Lucia, did I make a poor choice, not because we worried about getting back to the ship on time but because the tour sucked.

 

Research is the key to finding the right tour. We are sailing Dream in 110 more days :D, are visiting four ports, and will take taxis to the beaches or independent tours.

[beshears]

I, like several others have used "both" the cruise ship and independent tour guides. I have found in the long run, the independent ones are some cheaper. I, like several others, ALWAYS go by recommendations of the CC people on the independent tour guides, and we have always had good ones. Fortunately, we have never had a problem with running late for the ship leaving. Actually one tour that was awesome and they had told us how long it would be, turned out about an hour or two longer than planned, but we still had plenty of time for the ship. When I book my tours, I "always" give plenty of leave way one way or another, and it has always worked out.:)