Does anyone not do excursions?

[LivsMom2006]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

[maldenmusic]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

We always get off the ship but don't necessarily do excursions. We might grab a taxi and go to a beach or something like that. I think your plan sounds good. I hear the ships are pretty much deserted on port day which means you probably won't encounter chair hogs :D

[higgib]

I get the feeling from your post that you would quite like to explore the places your ship visits, or enjoy a day on the beach? If this is the case, why not join the roll call for your cruise and find maybe a solo cruiser, or a group with whom to enjoy some excursions. Your DH could have some quiet time on the ship, and you'd then be able to share your different experiences of the day over dinner. Unless you are visiting ports that you have been to before, and are happy to remain on the ship with him?

[GTO-Girl]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

 

We rarely do excursions and the few that we have done are not through the ship. But I always thoroughly research the private tour operators before we use them.

[chipq]

We have had a visit to a port that we really had little interest in and remained on ship and had the Lido deck nearly to ourselves. It was rather nice. Other times we have done our own walking/shopping tour around the town. Very low keyed and relaxed.

 

 

ChipQ http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[skridge]

My wife and I are going on our third cruise with no excursions. We are beach/lay by the pool people. We are eating at the Chefs Table. Now that is my kind of excursion!!

[LHP]

We generally do not do excursions.

 

Not to worry....

 

there are lots of folks that just hang around the port ....spend the day on the ship (which we do a lot depending on the port) .... and just RELAX!!

[wrigley80]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

 

In March we were on the Carnival Fantasy. During our port of call stop in Freeport, Bahamas we didn't get off the ship we went to the Serenity deck and we were the only ones back there for about 2 hours. That was super relaxing. It was so peaceful out there

[mrpayroll]

In some ports, we just get off the ship and wander around town. Doesn't cost anything.

[golfadj]

In some ports, we just get off the ship and wander around town. Doesn't cost anything.

 

We now do that in Nassau.

[SadieN]

We aren't lay on the beach people either.

 

We try to go 'local'. Local restaurant for lunch and check out a museum or something else historical.

[Angelamu7]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

 

There have been ports we just get off and streatch our legs and shop a little or eat and get back on. Really it is just up to what you enjoy doing. It is a personal choice.

[SkyMaster]

We very rarely even leave the ship while on cruises, after cruising 120 times, mostly in the Caribbean, there's very little ashore that I haven't seen, and care to visit again. (Ship is the destination for us!) Having said that, we always enjoy our time aboard ship when everyone else is ashore. No lines at the buffet. The hot tub is empty! I can enjoy any damn lounge chair I want, without having to resort to "chair hogging". I enjoy speaking to many of the entertainers, dancers, singers, and crew, as they usually enjoy their "days off" lounging around the ship as well. All in all, it's GREAT to be aboard a floating resort, and have it all to myself! :cool:

 

"SKY"

[Native Floridian 26]

We never do shore excursions. Based on the port, we just walk to the downtown area and shop around, hit the beach, or in some cases stay on the ship if we don't care to go to the port.

 

Freeport is a port IMO that really is not worth getting off at all if you're not doing an excursion. If you stay on the ship it's like another sea day for you, but without the crowds.

[dznymom]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

 

No stressing allowed! My husband sounds a bit like your husband (boring :p) but he does have things he likes. He hates crowds and touristy stuff so I try to tailor our port days to him so he will cruise with me again. You didn't say what your stops are, but with some research you might stumble on something that he would like. My DH loves to sail, so in Freeport we took a cab (easy peasy) to Port Lucaya and he rented a catamaran for @ $60 for an hour and had a blast while I sat on the beach soaking up the sun. Once in Nassau he did a Segway off-road tour which he really liked. We often grab a cab and ask the driver to take us on a quick tour (negotiate your price before you leave) with a lunch stop at a locals place. In St Maarten we went to the beach bar by the airport and watched the planes come in and it was awesome for both of us.

 

Generally, we will find something to do wherever we go, but we almost never take a ship's excursion. It's important to feel that we are in control of our day rather than being dragged along on someone else's itinerary.

 

Anyway, I hope you find something that will appeal to him so that you can get off the ship and have some fun at some of your stops at least!

[rickcop44]

A couple folks have hit on this and I'll add to it - it really depends on the port. Some ports have loads of things to do and others, not so many things to do. Or the price for a certain excursion is out of sight. This past February, we booked two snorkeling excursions, both through private companies - one in Nassau and one in St. Maarten. But the morning we got into Nassau, my wife and I were lounging on our balcony having our morning coffee and she said to me, "Do you really want to go on this excursion this morning?" And I replied, "No." So we didn't go. Yeah, we ate $120. Instead, we just wandered around the downtown area and had a good time. She got a shirt with a particular logo on it that she wanted and we bought a few odds and ends and had a great time. When we book next winter's cruise, our plan right now is to not book any shore excursions. Instead, we'll just play it all by ear and see how the cards fall. If we can't get a specific excursion, not biggie. We'll have fun anyway. That's what cruising is all about, don't 'cha know?

[cruzinlisa]

I have been on three cruises, to 8 different ports and one time did a carnival excursion and once a prearranged excursions. The rest we just decided to wing it once we got off the ship. We either would grab a taxi to the beach or somewhere we wanted to go, or go on an Island tour, all for a fraction of the cost of an official excursion. In most ports there is a little shopping area by the pier that you can go to for a few souveniers if you like.

[Lady_Jag]

I don't always book excursions either, because doing so tends to stress me out. :p

 

I mean, I usually go with private tours (unless something is offered through the ship only), so up to and during the tour, I worry about:

• Missing the port or arriving later than scheduled.
  
• Feeling too puny the day of the tour or oversleeping so that we miss the tour departure.
  
• Not being able to find the tour operator/pick up location.
  
• Missing the ship on our return.
  
• Someone in my group being disappointed in the tour I booked.
  
• Etc.
  

 

Anyway, I've always ENJOYED the excursions we've done, but I always feel that it's a huge responsibility to book them. So yeah, there are many times when we just "wing it" when we get off the ship, and we always have a great time. Once, I even stayed on the ship in Nassau while the rest of my group went ashore. It was a lovely relaxing day!

 

Oh- and I don't really like the beach either.:eek:

[pe4all]

If it is a "new" port for us, we will probably do some kind of active/adventure excursion. If it is a port we have been to several times (Nassau, SJ, GC, Belize, St. Thomas) we usually stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet and emptiness. If anything, we might go off the ship and walk around for an hour - then head right back on.

[LizaMM]

I often do not book excursions.

 

On my upcoming cruise the only thing I have booked is a cabana in HMC with a group of people from my roll call. And the only thing I had booked on my 2 cruises before this was Nachi Cocum for a beach day in Cozumel

 

I cruise for the relaxation of the cruise itself. I LOVE to stay on the ship when we are in port because it is quiet and relaxing and there are plenty of lounge chairs and it is easy to get food at anytime on the Lido Deck.

 

I also like to get off the ship sometimes and just wander around the port area.

 

On my last couple of cruises and my upcoming one next week I will simply make it a day by decision. If I feel like getting of the ship for awhile I will and if not I'll probably be on the Serenity Deck :D

[posh08]

I'm not a destination cruiser and only get off the ship to join the wife and friends in whatever local food and drink may be found. Never been on an excursion. The wife joined our daughter on a dolphin swim, they were thrilled.

[elcuchio24]

We often just do our own thing, walk around or grab a cab, find a restaruant of just chill out someplace. Especially in ports we've been to a bunch of times. Nassau, Coz, St. T....we've been there so often we usually just go to an AI or go hang out at a bar or something.

[Shaded Lady]

Typically they don't have excursions that suit my husband (we can't golf on EVERY stop!) so what we prefer to do is let the madness of getting off the ship first die down, then we get off at our leisure. We then wander around a bit and when we start to get hungry, go back to the ship for lunch...

 

When lunch is over, we usually hang out near the Lido deck (not sun worshippers!) and maybe take a nap! It's so much more pleasant on the ship when most people are off of it! It's one of my favorite times of the cruise!

[JS0219]

For our family, part of the excitement of cruising is the opportunity to visit different places all in one trip. I think its a shame to go somewhere and not see a glimpse of a new and different place. We never do excursions, I always read up on the places we will be visiting and plan to do what we would enjoy. We love the beach, so often its a day spent there with some sightseeing on a bus or taxi and a trip into town for some shopping. (It surprised me in one post that someone got off the ship to pick up souveniers - well, you didn't really visit the place?!) My advice..... find out about the places you will be visiting and see and do what appeals to you!

[mzloolue]

My DH is not really into touristy stuff, he's not really into laying at the beach either. (yeah he's boring) I'm starting to wonder if it's better off to just maybe get off the ship and wonder around the port for an hour or two and then go back on the ship and enjoy it while everyone else is off doing excursions. I'm starting to stress about the whole thing. I'm sure there are people who don't do excursions but I'm not hearing anyone talking about it. Thanks in advance.

 

 

I know that you didn't ask, but just curious about what your ports are.

There may be some things that your DH would be interested in...or not...