Epic in Nassau....can I book the sea lion excursion on my own?

[Dntcruisintime]

We are going to be in Nassau on the Epic from noon to 7pm. I want to do the Sea Lion experience with my son at the Blue Lagoon, but the ship's excursion price is $60 more per person than booking it directly. I'm not sure time wise if we can make it on our own, though. Has anyone done this either through the ship or on their own? Is there enough time or should I just suck it up and be safe by booking through the cruise line? Thank you!!

[Guindalf]

Chances are, it's the exact same excursion. We often book directly and save as the cruise lines typically take around 40% of the cost as profit for themselves.

 

I would, however, double check that booking direct includes things like transfers to the attraction and back as $60 sounds like a lot of difference!

[rvsullivan]

And also check with the vendor and make sure they don't have an exclusive with NCL. Some excursions are restricted to having to book with the ship. Usually if you try an online booking they will let you know whether it's allowed or not. Be careful of travel time and not missing the ship.

[Quincella]

I was going to do the dolphin excursion while in Nassau (Blue Lagoon) on my own, because I haven't booked a ship-sponsored excursion since the mid -90's!

 

I ended up booking through the ship, though. The last ferry leaves Blue Lagoon at 4:00. The encounter time is, I think, 2:00 That's just too close for comfort for my taste.

[chukfucius]

I was wondering how did you find out the company of the excursion or the details of it? I am going in 3 weeks on the same cruise and would love to know. Thanks.

[beachpearl]

I've emailed Blue Lagoon for a reservation and tried to book this on my own because it's a lot cheaper than booking through the ship. They emailed me back stating that the excursion must be booked with NCL, & that they do not accept reservations for those coming from cruise ships (well NCL specifically - I don't know if it's like that across the board).

 

They probably have a contract with NCL.

 

However, maybe you can just catch one of the ferries on your own over there, but I don't know if you'll be able to participate in the sea lion activity without a reservation.

[anthem]

Depends on the excursion and what the cruise line takes as their "cut". Sometimes its high, other times not so much.

 

For dolphin or sea lion - there are two places on Nassau. Both are substantially similar. Similar enough that I would almost say they are run by the same operator but can't say for sure. Blue Lagoon does both. Atlantis does both as well. Between the two, I like Atlantis personally. The cruise ship could do either as it depends, but I believe NCL is aligned with Blue Lagoon in Nassau right now for those (I think it occasionally changes).

 

You can definitely book either yourself. We've done it both ways. There is some safety and ease in booking with the cruise (you know where to be and they handle everything else). Directly means transportation is frequently your responsibility, there and back. /Sometimes/ a cruise line will hold a ship for a little bit if an entire group is late getting back. Less likely if you do it yourself and they don't know where you are. . . . I think the difference in price between yourself and directly might be 10-20 on these dolphin/sea lion excursions - so might not be worth the hassle to handle your own transportation.

[Dntcruisintime]

I was wondering how did you find out the company of the excursion or the details of it? I am going in 3 weeks on the same cruise and would love to know. Thanks.

 

I looked at the excursions offered by NCL and decided to see what I could find on my own for the ones that sounded fun. i had a "things to do" magazine from the last time we were in Nassau, and there is only the Blue Lagoon and Altantis that do the sea lion excursion. Once I found the website (you can also just search for the item and location), the shore excursion description was exactly the same, so it was pretty obvious. The boards also are also a great place. To check out what others have done. Have a great time!i have to wait till Dec to enjoy!:)

[genealogyfan]

I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise and booked with Dolphin Encounters directly a few years ago. We had a longer time there and I booked a morning time

 

I would be first to say book on your own, but we are going on the Epic to Nassau and the time in Nassau isn't that long, so we are going to book with Norwegian for the Dolphin encounter swim, even though it's more money - don't want to risk it

 

I know you have to take a taxi to the pier, take a boat to the island where Dolphin Encounters is and that boat only runs at certain times