First timer do excursions or not!

[akruz]

We are first timers for the southern carribean and start to add up costs for the excursions and it is adding up fast!!! The ports of calls are: Aruba Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao.

 

We search all the ports of call and found reputable operators for most that have replied. Made a spreadsheet and thought wow it is adding up the cost and looks extremely busy. We would like to enjoy the ship too and will have 5 sea days to recoup! If I was a third timer I would look at the this differently but as a first timer I want to sightsee all the islands. But perhaps after a few islands it might all seem like deja. Perhaps I am over thinking this.

 

As far as activities on the ship what can I expect to spend in a day and my interest might be playing bingo. LOL What activities on days the ship is at port that people say they are staying on the ship.

 

Does anyone have suggestions and views on this topic.

 

Thanks

[gymjudge55]

I think it depends on how you are looking at the cruise. We are not die hard cruisers and will be sailing on just our second one in 15 years. IMHO, a cruise ship is a hotel for us, we will be on shore every time doing something. Some of the time though we don't book an organized excursion, but just enjoy the port of call. It all depends on what your idea of a cruise is!

[TMaine]

It really depends on what type of excursions you are looking at. Many of the islands you can get around pretty easily without doing a ship excursion. If you like doing beach days, you are usually much better off getting a cab with some other folks on the ship. We usually pick and choose excursions and may only do one or even no ship excursions the whole cruise.

[Lsimon]

What do you like to do?

 

We generally just grab a taxi and head to the beach, or we do a day sail type excursion through the ship or privately. Going to the beach in a taxi is usually pretty inexpensive. Day sail excursions tend to be a bit pricier. If you're traveling on a budget you might pick one or two islands to do a nice excursion and take it easy at the other islands. We're not too interested in "touring" on most of the islands, although on your itinerary St. Lucia is a good place for this if you go with one of the private guides recommended on the port of call forum.

 

Often on a long port intensive itinerary like yours we'll pick an island or two to just stay on the ship and enjoy lounging around when the ship is very quiet and not too busy.

[mpace58]

Also, typically, on port days they will run specials in the spa/salon. Port days are good day to be pampered at a slight discount.

[ghstudio]

We only take celebrity excursions when only one of us wants to go; the excursion is long so there is a risk of missing the boat if it is delayed; and occasionally when we have so many OBC's that we consider it a free trip (yes, I know I can get them back thru the casino). In almost every other case, we book a local tour or join with others booking a local tour with less people.

 

The islands are filled with "tourist" trips...pirate boats, submarines, dolphins and so on. Pick what you want to do. We often just wander around looking at the overpriced "bargains" and the ultra rare gems that are only sold in the islands (or on ebay at about 10% of the price).

[cherylroslyn]

We are first timers for the southern carribean and start to add up costs for the excursions and it is adding up fast!!! The ports of calls are: Aruba Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao.

 

We search all the ports of call and found reputable operators for most that have replied. Made a spreadsheet and thought wow it is adding up the cost and looks extremely busy. We would like to enjoy the ship too and will have 5 sea days to recoup! If I was a third timer I would look at the this differently but as a first timer I want to sightsee all the islands. But perhaps after a few islands it might all seem like deja. Perhaps I am over thinking this.

 

As far as activities on the ship what can I expect to spend in a day and my interest might be playing bingo. LOL What activities on days the ship is at port that people say they are staying on the ship.

 

Does anyone have suggestions and views on this topic.

 

Thanks

The one thing I would say is that you don't want to get burned out. Remember it is a vacation and doing 8 ports very early in the morning will get taxing. I did a 10 day southern carribean over Christmas and I was starting to get tired by the end.....

 

I would do some research on each of the boards that are dedicated to each island. Some of the islands are very easy to do on your own by cab for relatively little money. You don't havet to do a $100.00 snorkeling trip on every island. But seriously consider that some days you might want to have a leisurely breakfast and leave the ship at 11:00 am or something and do a half day at a beach.......

 

 

The pressure I started to feel to wake up and rush off the ship to meet my tours really got me to think that breaking up the days would be a better idea......this shouldn't bean Olympic event....unless you want it to be........

[cb at sea]

Go to a library and check out a guidebook on your ports. Info is key to not spending a ton of money ashore! Then, decide what interests you. The book will allow you to see if it's doable on your own, or if you should hire a guide. NOT booking thru the ship is a less expensive way to "tour"....and they WILL get you back to the ship in time...it's what they do for a living!

[smtcan]

I'm by no means a Caribbean expert, but on a recent cruise we had a great tour of Antigua in a mini van for $12pp. We walked off the ship and found many taxis waiting to pick up tourists. We made sure that the van we were hiring looked clean and safe (we were warned about drivers who stand by a gleaming van, then lead you around the corner to a 'clunker') and we didn't pay until the end. We toured the island, then the driver took us to a beach for a couple of hours before driving us back to the ship. Our table mates did this type of tour on each island and recommended that we try it. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Sheila

[backyardponder]

Your question makes me think of our first cruise when I needed to do everything and ended the cruise just exhausted. Now my attitude comes from Simon & Garfunkel's 59th Street Bridge Song: "Slow down, you move too fast; You got to make the morning last..."

 

My suggestion to you is, like a PP said, go to the library and find a book like Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call. Pick a couple ports you want to do in depth and schedule tours. Other ports, have an idea on what you want to do via taxi but don't book anything...that way you can do something or not.

 

Does your cruise have an active roll call on Cruise Critic? If they do, ask folks what they are doing in different ports. Perhaps you'll be able to join them and save some costs.

 

Most important: Don't try to do everything!!!!!

 

John

[akruz]

Your question makes me think of our first cruise when I needed to do everything and ended the cruise just exhausted. Now my attitude comes from Simon & Garfunkel's 59th Street Bridge Song: "Slow down, you move too fast; You got to make the morning last..."

 

My suggestion to you is, like a PP said, go to the library and find a book like Frommer's Cruises & Ports of Call. Pick a couple ports you want to do in depth and schedule tours. Other ports, have an idea on what you want to do via taxi but don't book anything...that way you can do something or not.

 

Does your cruise have an active roll call on Cruise Critic? If they do, ask folks what they are doing in different ports. Perhaps you'll be able to join them and save some costs.

 

Most important: Don't try to do everything!!!!!

 

John

I wanted to quote all of you who took time to answer my questions. Yes, that is what I am afraid that I will get tired and not enjoy. With your help I am hoping we can downsize some of the tours we were anticipating and see what do we want to do.

Which island would you make a tour day or shop day or stay on ship day or walking on the beach day.

Thanks.

[huskerc]

Remember that excursions can be booked on board as well. Maybe line up a few excursions in advance and see how they go for the first few ports, and then play it by ear.

 

I think you are right that the more you cruise, the less you will be interested in cruise line-sponsored excursions. That is what we are finding. On our Summit sailing the south Caribbean later this year, we may not book any excursions through X at all. We'll line some private ones up in advance and for others, just get off the ship and see where the spirit takes us.

[dzcruisers]

We've always gotten amazing ideas from our roll call! Just read about what others are doing and you'll get some great ideas. We haven't done a ship's tour in years. Everything has been through the roll call.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi Akruz,

 

Good advice here from the others... let me add some more from a first-timers perspective.

 

Prior to our cruise on the Solstice (our first) this Winter, I did a lot of research on the Ports of Call we were scheduled to visit… San Juan – St Maartens – and St Thomas

 

Early on (of say 4 to 6 months prior to sailing), I figured that I would do something very extensive on each island… such as a guided sightseeing tour to “see” as much as I could of each place.

 

But in the end, we opted not to do any organized tours at all.

 

First because, I was able to gather a TON OF INFO from others on my CC ROLL CALL… info that ultimately gave us the confidence to do things on our own, and the insight that organized Ship Excursions can be very expensive

 

Case in point, we $ 85 US as a couple for the day (all expenses) to go snorkelling on our on St Thomas vs the $ 109 EACH that Celebrity wanted to do something similar. And based on my research (Ports of Call Guidebook – CC’s PORTS OF CALL BOARD – and TripAdvisor) not only did we get a far better deal, but from talking with others after our day in St T, we actually had a far better experience (cheaper, less crowded, no having to “wait” for anyone etc)

 

We also found, that in some Ports we were happy we didn’t have anything pre-booked… and played it by ear based on how we felt, the weather etc.

 

Our day in San Juan, we just got off the ship for a few hours (Hubby had been suffering some motion sickness travelling the rough Atlantic from Ft Lauderdale, so he wasn’t in top-notch form)… we walked around Old San Juan, and then went back to the ship for a nice dinner in Murano’s (wasn’t busy, as most folks were off the ship and exploring / eating in OSJ that evening).

 

In Sint Maartens we had to tender in (not a usual occurance in this port... so that meant delays in getting the day going) and the weather was not ideal… drizzle & rain. So we didn’t get ashore until late morning. We walked around Philipsburg (and ducked in and out of doorways from the rain)… and checked out various shops etc. When the weather got worse, we just tendered back to the ship for a nice hot shower, and then a late lunch in Bistro on 5. Very relaxing… we were sitting in the hot-tub during sail-away.

 

Our next cruise, is a 7 Night Southern Caribbean in January 2013… and there are 5 ports of call. It will be busy.

 

We are now looking at “options”… and figuring out what is what on each island.

 

We know we want to rent a car in Barbados as we’ve been there before, and have no qualms of getting around on our own.

 

St Lucia it would be nice to see the Pitons, but as we’ve read that the roads in St L aren’t the best, we have decided we’ll be doing a Ship’s Excursion, and not driving on our own (as we don’t want to risk missing the boat, as they say).

 

Antigua haven’t got a clue yet… still researching (might be a good day for something “easy & close” on our own after two busier days before)

 

Sint Maartens / St Martins in 2013 we will be docked... so less hassles. We will want to go farther afield this time to see more than our last visit... maybe a tour that we'll organize with others from our CC ROLL CALL... or perhaps just take a cab up to Orient Beach to see what "all the fuss is about" ;)

 

St Thomas we’ll be looking for another water based activity as the snorkelling trip was the highlight of our land adventures this year. Would have no issues with doing St T on our own again.

 

So probably the only island we’ll end up doing via the Ship Excursions will be St Lucia. From reading up, I think we can manage all the others on our own.

 

And as I said, this gives us the ultimate in flexibility… then if we find we are too tired or the weather doesn’t cooperate we can just do something else or cut back our plans as needed.

 

Oh yes, and burn out is a HUGE issue. Even though we had a great cruise… we were shocked by how tired we were when we got back ashore after our cruise (cannot fathom how folks choose to fly home the same day).

 

A cruise can certainly be relaxing or busy... and it can be filled with late nights and early mornings (depending on one's wishes)... but the hot sun and fresh ocean air can knock you out as well...

 

We were very very happy we had opted to spend 2 Days in Fort Lauderdale post cruise. We spent a good part of the first one sleeping, and the second one sightseeing and catching a few last rays of sunshine before heading back to Canada and a cold January.

 

No regrets, organizing things that way… and we will do again for our next cruise… fly in a day or two early, and leave a day or two later.

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

 

PS… if you want some fascinating reading check out the Blog entitled *Winter 2012 on the Emerald Princess*… it covers 100 Days at sea, that a CC Member did this Winter on a Princess Ship... and includes 9 major Ports of Call. Reading it can give you some interesting ideas on what there is to do on your own in many Ports of Call (lol, besides it is a totally fascinating read / journey)

 

http://www.pescadoamarillo2012.blogspot.com/

[akruz]

Thanks Sloop-John B I will do the read. As for roll call all the info I read seem to be luggage tags, change staterooms, etc but little on excursions,etc so now I put a post there and see what happens.

Thanks everyone as we need to hear from others and their experience as it seems we all were newbies at one time. LOL

[Tweedy]

We are first timers for the southern carribean and start to add up costs for the excursions and it is adding up fast!!! The ports of calls are: Aruba, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao.

 

When cruising, I like to get off of the ship and see "stuff". I go with the thinking that I may not have the opportunity to come back so why not see what I can see.

 

I've been to Aruba twice. The first time we did a ship sponsored tour that took us to the California Lighthouse, Baby Bridge, Ostrich Farm and one other place I can't remember right now. I enjoyed the tour very much as I got to see the island. The 2nd time we went, we just wandered through Oranjestad and enjoyed a quiet ship.

 

In Antigua, we did a private tour with some people from our roll call. Again, we saw a great deal of the island and I'm glad we did the tour.

 

In St Thomas, we were there twice. The first time we docked at Havensight with all the shopping and the second time we docked at Crown Bay with not so much shopping. We did a ship sponsored tour the first time and I will admit I was very disappointed with the tour. I guess I was expecting more. The second time we just stayed on board and enjoyed a quiet ship. Those days are nice.

 

In St Lucia, we did a ship sponsored catamaran sail to the Pitons. We had wonderful weather and the seas were calm. However, we were speaking with someone from the cruise who said that the weather can be iffy and that we were very lucky we had a great day. It wasn't a party cruise either; very relaxing.

 

In Barbados I did a ship sponsored photography tour and enjoyed this immensely. Not only did we receive photography tips, we got a great tour of this beautiful island.

 

Grenada, we did a ship sponsored spice tour. It was okay and the weather wasn't great.

 

As you can tell, I stick mainly with the ship sponsored excursions. I personally feel more comfortable with that and know that there is a 99.9% chance I won't miss the boat.

 

Ultimately, the decision comes down to personal preference for how much or how relaxing you would like your vacation to be. Either way... you'll have a wonderful time!!

[akruz]

When cruising, I like to get off of the ship and see "stuff". I go with the thinking that I may not have the opportunity to come back so why not see what I can see.

I can identify with that and is my main motive for searching for days and days for tours, etc. and hopefully it will be relaxing and I guess if too tired will have to cancel.

[4774Papa]

We are first timers for the southern carribean and start to add up costs for the excursions and it is adding up fast!!! The ports of calls are: Aruba Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Curacao.

 

We search all the ports of call and found reputable operators for most that have replied. Made a spreadsheet and thought wow it is adding up the cost and looks extremely busy. We would like to enjoy the ship too and will have 5 sea days to recoup! If I was a third timer I would look at the this differently but as a first timer I want to sightsee all the islands. But perhaps after a few islands it might all seem like deja. Perhaps I am over thinking this.

 

As far as activities on the ship what can I expect to spend in a day and my interest might be playing bingo. LOL What activities on days the ship is at port that people say they are staying on the ship.

 

Does anyone have suggestions and views on this topic.

 

Thanks

You may be taking the same cruise that we are (On the Connie, Ultimate Southern Carib 10 March). We are taking excursions. I have never been to these islands and while we could probably hire a taxi and save a few bucks, I like X handling it. Also, most of the excursions are about $40 and relatively inexpensive.

We are doing the dolphin encounter in Curacao. We could save a few bucks taking a taxi there and back and booking it ourselves, but the difference is not that much once you add the taxis.

[USVI-4-me]

I'd definitely take a tour from St. Thomas to St. John by water. If you don't want to get wet, stay on the boat. If you do get wet, better yet.

 

I'd skip a tour of Grenada and just walk through the tunnel with other cruisers to explore the area on the other side. We did a tour of Grenada and called it the whiplash..... it's a port that's pretty depressing close to the pier. The island is lovely but our tour bus didn't slow down.

 

Aruba is a toss up because there is much to see by land or sea, but I'm always satisfied to wander around the town, go into the casino and look at the hotel pools and beaches of the two Renaissance that are close by.

 

Antigua is a beautiful island with 365 beaches, I recommend a tour that helps you see some of the beaches and hilly terrain.

 

Curacao is a good place to save your dollars because you can walk into the Dutch Town.

 

St. Martin has a French and Dutch side. We find it delightful to wander or tour the Dutch side but have given up on the French side because they often close up when the tours arrive.

 

I hope this helps give you some balance to your touring budget.

 

Maris

[akruz]

What would be a "must see beach" on the above-mentioned islands in my post. I like to "walk the beach" as I cannot do swimming as of yet.

I just want to thank everyone so much for assisting us and hope someday I can do the same.

[bplazo]

I love doing excursions and it is my favorite thing about cruising. I will research the ports of call boards for hours and find the most exciting and adventurous ones. I do not like the ships excursions.

 

However, I will do one beach day just to relax.

[Lsimon]

What would be a "must see beach" on the above-mentioned islands in my post. I like to "walk the beach" as I cannot do swimming as of yet. ...

 

This is a very tough question as the Islands on this cruise include a lot of my favorite beach destinations. If I were going just for the beaches I'd rank them in the following order, although almost all are great and just because we love the day sail's there so much we don't generally go to the beach any longer in St. Thomas. I'm less familiar with the beaches in Antigua so I haven't discussed it (did an excursion there to a nice beach & lobster lunch via motor boat the only time we've been there).

 

One of my favorite beaches in the Caribbean is Orient Beach in St. Maarten. The beach is at least 1 1/2 miles long and it is a great beach to walk. About 1/2 of the beach is developed into restaurants where you can rent chairs and get drinks or lunch, with prices and food style ranging from cheap sandwiches to fancy (and expensive) French food. So do check out the menu's and prices before sitting down for lunch. A great day to catch a cab to the beach in the morning, walk a little, rest in the sun, have a nice lunch then head back to town for a little shopping before re-boarding the ship.

 

St. Thomas has 2 great beaches - Meagan's Bay (where I'll have to admit we've never been) and Trunk Bay on St. John (need to catch 2 cabs and a ferry ride to get there). Although lately we've done a day sail at St. Thomas. Meagan's bay a beautiful long and sandy bay, pictures make it look like it would be great for walking.

 

Curacao has some nice beaches too - our favorite is Playa Porto Mari. Good for walking , relaxing, swimming or snorkeling (or even diving). But if you plan on swimming or walking along the water line you'll need water shoes as there is a lot of coral there. The beach itself is sugar sand, it is the waterline that is rough.

 

Aruba - Aruba has great beaches but they are a bit built up as the most popular areas are lined with either Hotels or time shares. Still you can walk quite a ways on soft sand and the water is a beautiful color there.

 

Grenada has nice beaches, - Grand Anse is a beautiful long beach close to the pier. Most take a water taxi but if you can't get in the water for any reason take a land cab as you may have to exit the water taxi in shallow water. We usually head to the Aquarium restaurant on Magazine beach a little further but a bit quieter, but the beach there isn't as long.

 

Barbados - good beaches but we usually do a day sail catamaran excursion there.

 

St. Lucia - I'm not crazy about the beaches in St. Lucia except the ones down by the Pitons which are a long ride (by water or land) to get to. Might as well take an Island tour that includes a stop at one of them.

[med2cruise]

We are planning our 4th cruise for October. We have been on a Medeterranian cruise and 2 carribbean. We had 9 ports on the first, and 3 on the other 2. Only 1 tour on the 1st was through the ship, and only 1 on the 3rd was through the ship.

 

All of my tours have been privately booked and we have met some wonderful people doing this. It is much better than being on a bus tour. It usually cost less and we get more. My approach so far has been book the best the 1st time and if we are lucky to go back a 2nd time, I will do less.

 

Happy planning and enjoy your cruise.

 

Karen:D

[Sloop-JohnB]

What would be a "must see beach" on the above-mentioned islands in my post. I like to "walk the beach" as I cannot do swimming as of yet.

I just want to thank everyone so much for assisting us and hope someday I can do the same.

 

TO AKRUZ,

 

Lol, well Orient Beach on St Martins, is regarded as one of the best beaches in the world... and has A LOT to see (be it clothed, semi-nude, or nude ;) )

 

It is France afterall... so very European in culture and attitude... particularly so when it comes to nudity and sunbathing.

 

WHAT you see is dependent upon where on the beach you are... there is a designated area at one end that is "clothing" optional.

 

Cheers!

[October55]

What would be a "must see beach" on the above-mentioned islands in my post. I like to "walk the beach" as I cannot do swimming as of yet.

I just want to thank everyone so much for assisting us and hope someday I can do the same.

 

We took the Southern Caribbean cruise on the Constellation in January and loved it. My favorite beach was Honeymoon Bay on St. John. We took the ferry from St. Thomas and then a 1 mile hike through their National Forest to get there. There are easier ways if you are not a hiker. Gentle sloping white sand, warm water, privacy...a little piece of paradise!

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150532635171638&set=a.10150532244721638.364647.667726637&type=3